Nopera Road

Taranaki

19 Jul

Dates: 1900-1902
Location: 106 Nopera Road, Pihama, Taranaki (-39.509386, 173.956137)
Registration No: 670
Brand name: 4F

Founding of the Forsyth Farm (1882-1898)

Simon Forsyth arrived in Taranaki in the early 1880s and began purchasing land on which he later built a small butter and cheese factory. On 8 September 1882, he purchased section 16 (160 acres) and section 18 (100 acres) of the Oeo Survey District for £1,296 and £810 respectively.

He expanded his holdings with section 15 (130 acres) on Nopera Road in 1897 and section 33 (320 acres) on Patiki Road in 1898. These properties formed a substantial farming base at Pihama.

Establishment of the Nopera Road Factory (c.1900-1903)

Around 1900, Forsyth built a butter and cheese factory on section 15, Nopera Road, operating it for approximately three seasons.

The factory traded under the brand “4F”, though the origin of the name remains unknown. By 1900-1901 it appeared in official dairy factory registers as “Nopera (proprietary)”, producing both butter and cheese under Forsyth’s ownership. Output records list 7 tons of butter and 3–4 tons of cheese in the early 1900s.

Role in the Opunake and Pihama Dairy Industry

Forsyth was a significant early figure in the district’s dairy development. In 1885, he served as one of the provisional directors of the newly formed Opunake Dairy Factory Company Ltd, alongside other local farmers.

From his own factory on Nopera Road, Forsyth exported cheese through the Port of Opunake, with shipping records from June 1901 noting “S. Forsyth – 38 cases cheese”.

Two of his sons later became directors of the Pihama and Eltham dairy companies.

Later Years and Legacy

Simon Forsyth remained a respected figure in local farming and civic life until his death in 1913, remembered as a thoughtful leader involved in county governance and the Farmers’ Union.

His Nopera Road and Patiki Road farms stayed in the family for decades, eventually being offered for sale in 1933 as part of his estate - described as “amongst the best in the district”.

As of July 2026, Simon Forsyth’s great grandson Graeme Forsyth is still living on the family farm. He recounts that the dairy factory was a two story building located in behind the house where he lives. No known remains.