Newstead is a dairy farming and pastoral district, six miles from Hamilton, in the county of Waikato, and ninety miles from Auckland by rail. It has a butter factory and post office. The nearest telegraph office is at Hamilton, which is six miles off.

Newstead Station Creamery (New Zealand Dairy Association, proprietors) was established in 1900. An eight horse power portable engine by Clayton and Shuttleworth drives the plant, which consists of an Alexandra separator of 300 gallons' capacity. During the first season there were about ten suppliers, who sent the produce of 350 cows daily to the creamery.

Mr. William Runciman, Manager of the Newstead Station Creamery, was born at Papatoitoi in 1871. He is the son of Mr. Robert Runciman, of Papatoitoi, and settled in the Waikato in 1891. Mr. Runciman was working at the Pukerimu creamery from 1892 to 1900, when he took the management of the Newstead station creamery.

Levis, Richard John, Farmer, Newstead. Mr. Levis was born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1852, and was brought up to country life. He arrived in Auckland in 1876 by the ship “Brodrick Castle,” and after a few months at Waiuku, removed to the Waikato, where he entered the service of the late Captain J. Runciman, in whose employment he continued for six years. At Newstead Mr. Levis has a property of over 153 acres, on which he settled in 1884. He has served as a member of the Marshmeadows school committee. Mr. Levis was married, in 1883, to a daughter of the late Mr. J. Taylor, of County Tyrone, Ireland, and has four sons and five daughters.

Newstead Station, the property of Mr. Henry Reynolds, is situated partly in Kirikiriroa and partly in the Tamahere district, and contains 1600 acres of freehold land. About 400 cows are in milk during the season, and the Newstead Creamery, established in 1830, contains an Alpha and an Alexandra separator, each of 200 gallons capacity. About 1000 gallons of milk are treated daily.

Mr. William Edward Clark, Manager of Newstead Station, was born at Cambridge, Waikato, in 1867. He was educated at Cambridge and at Onehunga, and served an apprenticeship of five years to the cabinet making trade with the late Mr. J. T. Garlich in Auckland. At the close of his apprenticeship he removed to the Waikato, and two years later went to Hawke's Bay. After gaining experience for some years in agricultural and pastoral matters in that district, he was appointed manager of Newstead Station early in 1899. Mr. Clark was married in February, 1899, to a daughter of Mr. Joseph Gane, of Pukerimu.

Mr. W. E. Clark.

Mr. Robert Kay, Manager of Newstead Homestead Creamery, was born in Whangarei, in 1876. He was educated chiefly at Paterangi, where he was brought up to farming. In 1894 he found employment at the Paterangi Creamery, and a year later became manager of the Waihou Creamery. For two years subsequently he had charge of a creamery at Pirongia, and has occupied his present position since 1898.

Hanna, photo.
Mr. R. Kay.

“Woodside” is a pastoral property owned by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, in the Newstead district, county of Waikato. It carries between 2000 and 3000 sheep, and is managed by Mr. J. J. Graham.

Captain James Runciman, sometime of “Marshmeadows,” Newstead, near Hamilton, was born in the south of Scotland in 1829, and came with his parents to New Zealand by the ship “Nimrod,” in 1839, when the family settled in the Whangarei district. In 1845, however, they were driven out by the Maoris, and Mr. Runciman, senior, then took up a run of 2000 acres at Drury. Here the subject of this notice continued with his father until the Waikato war broke out, when he joined Colonel Nixon's Light Horse and went all through the Waikato campaign, at the close of which he retired with the rank of captain. During his residence in the district, Captain Runciman took an active interest in local politics. He was a member of the Waikato County Council for six years, chairman of the Tamahere Road Board for nineteen years, and was a firm advocate for the introduction of sugar beet, with great faith in that product as an industry in New Zealand. Captain Runciman was married, and had two sons and three daughters.

The late Captain J. Runciman.