Wing Commander
Arthur 'Artie' Ashworth
DSO, DFC and Bar, AFC and Bar
Dedicated to my great uncle - a WWII bomber and fighter pilot.
And legend in his time.
Vincent A. Ashworth
Arthur's Youngest Brother
Vincent Ashworth was born in Alexandra, New Zealand, on December 9th 1931. He was the 11th - and now, only surviving - child of Arthur and Edna Ashworth. He was educated at Alexandra District High School (ADHS), Otago Boys High School (OBHS), and Massey and Lincoln Universities.
In 1951 Vince gained a Rural Field Cadet Scholarship with the then State Advances Corporation. The five-year programme was preparation for service in one of the many Government Departments serving the rural sector. It involved study at Lincoln and Massey as well practical experience on a range of farming systems.
Vince graduated from Lincoln in 1955 with a Diploma of Valuation and Farm Management, passing with Credit. He was posted to the then Department of Lands and Survey as an Assistant Field Officer. Two years later he resigned the State Service and joined a Farm Improvement Club in Te Aroha as a professional agricultural adviser.
In 1960 Vince established in Morrinsville what was to become the successful firm of Ashworth and Associates, Farm Management Consultants - the first of its kind in the country. During the early 1970s he participated in a number of international consulting assignments in places like Afghanistan, Yemen Arab Republic, Samoa, Tanzania and Somalia.
In 1976 Vince was invited to join the permanent staff of the World Bank as a Senior Agriculturalist and took his family to live in Washington DC. He spent 10 years in Washington and two years in the Bank’s Nairobi based East Africa office. During his time he did assignments in Eastern Europe (Romania, Yugoslavia), Middle East (Yemen, Saudi Arabia), Central Asia (Afghanistan), and East Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia).
Upon taking early retirement in 1987, Vince went deer farming at Te Aroha. He also continued his professional career with consulting assignments - mostly for the World Bank - in Yugoslavia, Macedonia, China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Tanzania, Australia, and South Africa. He also did volunteer work for Save the Children (SCF) in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea as well as chairing the SCF Overseas Project Committee for some years.
Vince is a Fellow of the Institute of Agricultural Science as well as a Fellow and Life Member of the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management. In 1980 he was awarded the Lincoln University Bledisloe Medal for distinguished services to New Zealand agriculture.
As a keen sportsman, Vince represented his schools and universities at cricket and rugby. He also represented Manawatu (1956-57) and Thames Valley (1958-59) in provincial rugby. He enjoys a game of golf, and takes a keen interest in New Zealand and international affairs.
Vince married Edna May Young in Palmerston North in 1955. They have four children, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He is a keen gardener and enjoys writing.
Having already completed two biographies on his brothers - For Our Tomorrow He Gave His Today (2009) about Flying Officer Corran Perry Ashworth, and Artie - Bomber Command Legend (2014) about Wing Commander Arthur ‘Artie’ Ashworth DSO, DFC and Bar, AFC and Bar, MiD - Vince wrote his autobiography A Full Life (2017). A fourth book, detailing his family’s history The Ashworths of Central Otago, was published in 2019.
Following the death of his bloved wife, May, Vince released his fifth book The Life We Shared about their nearly 70 years of marriage, family, travels, and adventures.
Vince was named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (awarded For a prominent national or international role, leading role in regional affairs, or distinguished contribution to an area of activity) 'for services to agriculture' in New Zealand's 2024 King’s (Observed) Birthday Honours List:
Mr Vincent Ashworth has contributed to agriculture in New Zealand and internationally since 1970.
As a Senior Agriculturalist with the World Bank, Mr Ashworth led missions to help farmers with food production in more than 30 developing countries. Notably, he did major work to improve farming practices for countries with harsh environments for agriculture, including Afghanistan, Yemen and Ethiopia. Recognising the lack of support for farmers on best practice farming, he established Ashworth and Associates in 1960, a farm management consultancy practice, the first of its kind in New Zealand. He led international work through the consultancy to Afghanistan and Western Samoa.
Following his consultancy success, he launched the New Zealand Society of Farm Management in 1969, serving as inaugural President, with thousands of farmers benefitting from research findings to improve their practices. He is a published author of six books since 2009 and has been recognised with two medals from Lincoln University for his contributions to agricultural consultancy and the university’s cultural heritage. He was a member of Save the Children New Zealand Overseas Projects Committee from 1978 to 1988, serving as Chair for three years. Mr Ashworth is a Life Member of the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management and the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Science.
Source: The Department of the (New Zealand) Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)
Morrinsville King’s Birthday Honours recipient was farm advisor to the world
King’s Birthday Honours 2024: Vincent Ashworth, Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Vincent Ashworth and wife May taking the supersonic Concorde from Washington to London during his time as senior agriculturalist with the World Bank.
© Bethwyn Littler / Stuff
Vincent Ashworth (left) worked with rural communities in Afghanistan.
© Christel Yardley / The Waikato Times