Massey University Archivist Louis Changuion reflects on the university’s early years, sharing how the founding of Massey Agricultural College in Manawatū helped shape both the campus and the wider region…

 

In the late 1920s, Palmerston North was a town on the rise, growing in confidence, civic pride and national importance.

It was into this setting that Massey Agricultural College was born in 1927, ushering in a new era of scientific farming and higher education.

The college would go on to become Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University, but its early years as a specialist agricultural institution were crucial in shaping not only the campus, but also the wider Manawatū region.

City college for the land

The establishment of Massey Agricultural College was no accident. By the 1920s, agriculture was the backbone of Aotearoa New Zealand’s economy, yet the North Island lacked a dedicated institution for the scientific training of farmers and agriculturalists.

While Lincoln Agricultural College in Canterbury had long offered such courses, and more limited programmes had begun at Victoria University College and Auckland University College, there was growing consensus that a second agricultural college was needed.

In February 1926, a conference between Auckland and Victoria University Colleges resolved to combine their agriculture programmes into a single North Island institution, ideally located in the Palmerston North or Marton area.

The region’s central location, transport links and suitability for dairying, lamb production and hill-country sheep farming made it an ideal choice.

Agricultural professors Geoffrey Peren, from Victoria, and William Riddet, from Auckland, assessed potential sites. By March 10, they had selected the 820-acre (330-hectare) Batchelar property near Palmerston North.

It offered proximity to a growing urban centre, strong transport connections, favourable farming conditions, and nearby agricultural processing facilities.

On July 21, 1926, the government confirmed Palmerston North as the college’s location and agreed to buy the land.

Local support followed. Later that year, public feedback from Palmerston North ratepayers backed a borough council proposal to acquire the McHardy property at Turitea, part of which would be gifted to the college.

This cemented Palmerston North’s role as the home for the new college.

Naming and establishment

The next step was to create the college. In September 1926, the New Zealand Agricultural College Act 1926 was passed. This act amalgamated the agricultural schools of Victoria and Auckland to establish the New Zealand Agricultural College.

The act determined, however, that the college did not come into functional existence (that is, able to operate or govern itself) until the college council was formally constituted by the governor-general.

This followed on January 17, 1927, the official start date of the college’s governing body, marking the legal and operational beginning of Massey Agricultural College.

On February 1, the college council met for the first time at the parliamentary buildings in Wellington.

In July 1927 the Massey Agricultural College Act was passed. This renamed the institution to Massey Agricultural College and expanded its powers, such as the right to grant diplomas.

As a constituent college of the University of New Zealand, degrees were to be awarded by the university.

The renaming honoured the late Prime Minister William Massey – a staunch advocate for the farming sector and for establishing a North Island agricultural college – and helped appease Lincoln College, which objected to the national implication of the name “New Zealand Agricultural College”.

On July 7, 1927, Professor Geoffrey Peren was appointed acting principal (confirmed in 1928). Professor William Riddet was named vice-principal as well as director of the associated Dairy Research Institute.

Building from the ground up

The remainder of 1927 was spent preparing for the first intake of students, which was scheduled for 1928.

The Batchelar house was adapted for administrative and teaching use and fitted with temporary laboratories and lecture rooms. Academic and support staff were hired, farm infrastructure improved and livestock acquired.

In those early days, the college had something of a pioneer spirit. Students and staff were not just learners and educators but also landscapers and builders, helping to physically shape the grounds and farms.

On March 2, 1928, the college opened its doors to students and enrolled eight students on the first day.

The official opening took place on March 20, with great ceremony. A hope expressed on opening day was that Massey might in time help make Palmerston North the “Cambridge of New Zealand”.

By the end of 1928, a total of 85 students had enrolled for degree, diploma, certificate and short courses. The staff numbered 20. By 1962, the final year of the college, the student body had grown to 611.

Over the following years, new permanent buildings were completed. The first was the Refectory, a social and dining hub, in 1930 followed by the Science Building (now the Sir Geoffrey Peren Building) in 1931.

Life on campus

In its early years, Massey Agricultural College had a distinctly masculine, rural character. Many students came from farming backgrounds and the curriculum was practical and scientific in nature.

Though small, the student body from relatively early on included Māori students and, as Massey’s reputation for excellence grew, also attracted students from overseas.

t was not until 1932 that the first female student enrolled – for a poultry farming short course. The first female degree student arrived in 1938, studying for a Bachelor of Agricultural Science.

While Massey’s early years were dominated by men, women staff were there too. Agnes Crawford, the first female lecturer, was appointed in 1928. An assistant lecturer in dairying, she specialised in fancy cheese-making.

Later, during World War II, botanist Ella Campbell joined the staff, supporting the new horticulture courses.

Alongside these academic trailblazers were female administrators, librarians and laboratory assistants who helped to keep the college running.

Legacy and looking forward

The legacy of those early years endures. The Sir Geoffrey Peren Building stands proudly at the heart of the Manawatū campus, a symbol of ambition, vision and hard work.

In just two years, Massey University will celebrate its centenary. A moment for the university community and the community to reflect on the institution they built together.

From paddocks to papers, and from gumboots to gowns, Massey’s story is interwoven with that of Manawatū – a foundation that continues to shape a university now spanning across Auckland, Wellington and beyond.

• This article was originally published in the Manawatū Standard.
• Picture above shows the campus of Massey Agricultural College in July 1934.

Source: Massey University