Ford Family History

The Ford Family has been farming and owning land in the Maketu, Te Tumu, and Lower Kaituna areas since 1907.

“The Sandhills,” situated on the northern side of the Kaituna River, has been in the Ford family since December 21, 1911, when George P. Ford leased 217 acres of second-class land on a perpetual lease from the District Lands Office. Through generations of farming and the gradual purchase of surrounding parcels, the Ford family steadily expanded their holdings. Originally farmed by George Pinckney Ford and later by Jack (Edward John) Ford, the land continues to be cared for by the Ford family today.

This family history has been compiled as part of the background documentation for the Kaituna River and Maketū Estuary Strategy.

The Ford Family History 1907-2008 High Court Affidavit 18th May 2021

This is our historical recollection

1900s 1910s 1930s 1940s 1960s 1980s

1906

L to R: Edward (Jack), George, Annie Mabel and Frederick Ford (Ford Collection)

1908

Mabel, Fred and Jack Ford at 309 Kelly Road, Maketu (Ford Collection)

1915

Approx. 1915, The Sandhills – Fred and Jack Ford in the boat, George Ford enticing a horse to swim the Kaituna River at high tide (Ford Collection)

1916

The Tryst – George Ford’s launch on the Kaituna river (Ford Collection)

1930s

Pet sheep, Annie Mabel Ford (2nd on the right) (Ford Collection)

1930s

Ford Pontoon on the Kaituna River shifting posts from Te Tumu to The Sandhills (Ford Collection)

1940

Jack Ford duck shooting on the Rangitaiki Plains (Ford Collection)

1961

August 1961 – Jack and Audrey Ford (Ford Collection)

1984

Jack (Edward John) Ford (80 years old) standing on the barren landscape of Ford Island following the 1981 Diversion. Jack was very much against this diversion and the flooding that would be allowed to accumulate on the northern side of the Kaituna

This is our historical recollection

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