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Legendary farming education centre for sale
Media Release
Date 20.4.2012
Legendary farming education centre on the market for
sale
A pioneering rural education institution that taught thousands of young New Zealanders the rudimentary skills of farming has been placed on the marked for sale.
Flock House near Bulls in the Manawatu was founded in1924 and was initially used to accommodate and train the sons of British Naval personnel who died during World War One.
In 1947 the school was opened to young New Zealand boy aged between 14 - 18 years of age wishing to gain an education in farming. The introduction of a ‘full fee’ structure in the 1980s led to a dramatic fall in student numbers, and in 1988 the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries which administered Flock House, closed the centre.
Over the
decades, some 3400 young New Zealand farmers were educated
at the facility. Since closing as an educational site, the
Flock House buildings have been used as a conference and
function venue before transferring into private ownership in
1995.
The original Flock House homestead and teaching
facility, known as McKelvie House – which has a Category 1
listing with the Historic Places Trust – was continually
expanded over the decades until its peak in the
1970s.
The complex sprawls over almost 14 hectares. Up
for sale in the complex are:
* The original McKelvie
Homestead and associated buildings.
* A full-sized
gymnasium, three indoor squash courts with viewing area, two
tennis courts, and a 25metre indoor heated swimming pool.
* A restaurant, bar, and recreation centre serviced by a
commercial kitchen.
* Block accommodation for more than
300 people.
* Basketball, volleyball and badminton
courts.
* It’s own water and sewage system.
The
property is being marketed by Bayleys Lower North Island
through a tender process closing on May 23. Bayleys
commercial and industrial salesperson Lewis Townshend said
that for generations of farmers, Flock House was the
foundation of their farming careers.
“For rural-based
education in New Zealand, Flock House was the forerunner of
such universities as Lincoln and Massey. Many of its
students went on to gain degrees at these institutions, or
went directly onto farms as sharemilkers or farm hands
before going on to buy and own their own properties,” Mr
Townshend said.
Mr Townshend said that over the past
decade of private ownership, the venue had been identified
for a variety of uses – ranging from a boutique hotel and
function venue, through to an alcohol and drug
rehabilitation centre.
“The building infrastructure
and substantial number of commercial grade amenities are all
in place and ready for a new owner to refurbish and
reinvigorate this ‘gracious old lady’ to her former
glory,” Mr Townshend said.
“The potential uses are virtually limitless. The land and buildings could even be purchased for conversion to a private stately residence with the ultimate ‘stable’ of recreational amenities.
“Or the property could be subdivided
– with each subsequent dwelling having shared access
rights to the likes of the pool and the sports facilities in
what could effectively become a ‘gated’ style
community.
“From an historic perspective though, I think
there are a lot of farmers around New Zealand who would love
to see Flock House returned as a training institution.
However, with the potential of housing a large number of
people continuously for a lengthy period of time, the
options are there for developing the property as a
residentially-focused facility.”
Mr Townshend said the
sale only included the buildings and infrastructure around
Flock House, and did not incorporate the substantial
productive rural land previously associated with the centre
and now being farmed separately. The Flock House buildings
and 13.75hectares of land had a capital valuation of
$1.475million.
ENDS
Bayleys Real Estate
New Zealand
Bayleys is New Zealand's largest full-service real estate company. We offer expertise in the marketing and sale of a wide range of property, including residential real estate, farms and lifestyle blocks, and commercial and industrial property. This includes tourism and business sales such as hotels and motels. We also cover the real estate markets in Fiji and other Pacific Islands.
Bayleys also provides a complete property and facilities service including property management and valuations teams focused on achieving both Owner and Tenant satisfaction.
No other real estate company can match our breadth of coverage across all market sectors throughout New Zealand.
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