Vincent Alexandra Ashworth was born in Alexandra, New Zealand, on December 9, 1931, as the youngest of eleven children to Arthur John and Edna Mary (née Harrison) Ashworth. By the time he arrived, his parents had run out of name ideas, so they named him Vincent Alexandra after the county (Vincent) and the town (Alexandra) they lived in.
Vince first attended Alexandra District High School, then moved to Dunedin to attend Otago Boys High School. To cover his boarding school expenses in Dunedin, he worked during the holidays to earn enough for his tuition each term.
My early life was tough. We would be described today as living in poverty. My father died in 1932 while I was still a baby in arms.
That was because of the laws at that time. The savings [my father] had were to remain in the hands of the public trust until the youngest child reached the age of 21.
So my poor mother had to struggle. We lived in very poor circumstances.
Vince received a Rural Field Cadetship (RFC) scholarship in 1951 from the State Advances Corporation. The RFC course was a groundbreaking programme intended to equip promising candidates for positions in Government land-based Departments such as Lands, Agriculture, Maori Affairs, Valuation, and State Advances. This initiative was developed by two innovative minds: Herbert Caselberg, who was the Supervising Valuer at State Advances, and R. H. Bevin, a Senior Lecturer in Farm Management at what was then Lincoln College. This programme significantly contributed to the agricultural sector in New Zealand.
It was a visionary course designed by the head of the State Advances Corporation and a lecturer in farm management at Lincoln College. I spent a year on a sheep farm in Wairarapa, a year on a lamb and cropping farm in Southland, a season on a dairy farm and two semesters at Massey University in Palmerston North.
This extensive programme integrated hands-on farming tasks with various agricultural systems across the North and South Islands, paired with academic learning at Massey University, Palmerston North. and Lincoln College over five years. Those who completed the programme received a Diploma in Valuation and Farm Management (VFM). This advanced diploma offered a notable enhancement over the Diplomas in Agriculture from the two colleges. With a greater emphasis on economics, it has now been upgraded to the Degree of Agricultural Commerce, which includes specializations such as Farm Management.
Vince dedicated a year to working at a sheep and cattle station called 'Kumukumu' in Wairarapa in 1951. The following year, he spent time on a fat lamb and cropping farm named 'Stanley Downs' in Southland, although this was interrupted by 14 weeks of mandatory military training. He also attended Massey University for two semesters and gained additional farm experience and work opportunities during the early 1950s.
It was during this stint in Palmerston North he fell in love with a ‘very pretty’ Postmistress, Edna May Young. They married just a week after Vince graduated from Lincoln College in 1955, and their marriage lasted a remarkable 67 years.
Vince graduated 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. After two ‘miserable’ years, he resigned from 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 New Zealand.
I was the first person to set up private practice.
I remember introducing myself to the lawyers and accountants in Morrinsville and one of them said to me, ‘listen, you are wasting your time. If you think farmers are going to pay you, it’s not going to happen boy.’
We grew into a large firm doing work for international organisations such as the World Bank, visiting Somalia and Yemen. I became a leader in agricultural advisory services. To my astonishment, while I was in Washington writing my reports the World Bank asked me to join the permanent staff
I got in touch with my wife back in Morrinsville and she was all for it.
During the early 1970s, Vince was involved in various international consulting assignments in places such as Afghanistan, Yemen Arab Republic, Samoa, Tanzania, and Somalia. After his World Bank assignment in Yemen in 1975, he was offered a position as a Senior Agricultural staff member, which led him to move his family to Washington DC. They spent a decade there before relocating to the Bank’s East Africa office in Nairobi for two years. During his tenure at the Bank, Vince worked in several areas, including Eastern Europe (Romania and Yugoslavia), the Middle East (Yemen and Saudi Arabia), Central Asia (Afghanistan), and East Africa (Kenya and Ethiopia).
Upon taking partial early retirement in 1987, Vince took his family deer farming at Te Aroha. But he didn’t fully leave his career behind: he remained active with consulting assignments, mostly for the World Bank, in countries like Yugoslavia, Macedonia, China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Tanzania, Australia, and South Africa. Additionally, he volunteered for Save The Children (SCF) in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea and even chaired the SCF Overseas Project Committee for several years.
During this period, he also developed a piece of rough hill country on the Coromandel Peninsula, which he found to be ‘tough but enjoyable work’.
With his status as a Fellow of the Institute of Agricultural Science, and Fellow and Life Member of the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management, Vince has left a significant legacy in agriculture. In 1980, he received the Lincoln University Bledisloe Medal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field.
Vince is a keen sportsman who has proudly represented his schools and universities in both cricket and rugby, including a provincial rugby career with Manawatu in 1956-57 and Thames Valley in 1958-59. Golf is another passion of his, and he stays informed about both New Zealand and worldwide events.
Vince and May raised four children, became proud grandparents to ten grandchildren, and a few great-grandkids. Vince is an avid gardener and has a passion for writing.
After transitioning to full retirement, Vince wrote two comprehensive biographies about his brothers: ‘For Our Tomorrow He Gave His Today’ (2009), which focuses on Flying Officer Corran Perry Ashworth, and ‘Artie – Bomber Command Legend’ (2014), showcasing the impressive career of Wing Commander Arthur ‘Artie’ Ashworth, who received honours including the AFC, DSO and DFC. In 2017, he shared his personal journey in ‘A Full Life,’ and he continued his family history exploration with ‘The Ashworths of Central Otago’ in 2019.
Following the passing of his beloved wife May, Vince released his fifth book, 'The Life We Shared,' which honors their almost 70 years together, packed with family moments, travel stories, and many adventures.
Vince Ashworth is not only a citizen of New Zealand, but a World Citizen who has touched the lives of millions who have benefited from his technical skills, leadership, and deep care for others who are less privileged and must struggle for survival.
Vince was honoured for his remarkable achievements in agriculture when he 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') in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours List, for 'services to agriculture':
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.
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
