Former Waikato farmer and property developer Bill Flower has made a generous gesture to Waikato University. Ninety year old Mr Flower is offering a postgraduate student $30,000 a year for three years to study an aspect of New Zealand agriculture.

“Bill’s had a long association with the university, he was active in getting it established, and he’s given various donations and prizes to Waikato Management School students over the years,” says the University’s Director of Development, Christine Brabender. “He believes that agriculture is the key to New Zealand’s economic success and has decided to offer a doctoral fellowship in economics to someone interested in enhancing New Zealand’s position on the global stage.”

Mr Flower had little formal education himself, forced to leave school at 12 when the depression hit. He came to New Zealand from Australia when he was 20, flew Halifax bombers during the Second World War and on his return to New Zealand married Joan who’s been his wife for 64 years.

“I was stationed near Oxford during the war and took the opportunity to do a couple of economics papers. They taught me how the economy worked and I gained a better understanding about how I could do better financially.”

The Flowers farmed Longacres in Morrinsville for 15 years and during that time Mr Flower bought commercial property. Then he and Joan decided to sell their then highly developed dairy farm to invest in two developing farms, another Morrinsville dairy farm and the main long-term objective, to develop 650 hectares in Piopio into a sheep and cattle station ‘Shalimar’. He also made other investments including a dairy farm near Hamilton so the children could go to high school in town. Bill says he always found dignity in work, which kept him busy till he was well over 80.

When the idea for a university in Hamilton was proposed, Bill Flower was one of the first to volunteer his services to get it off the ground. He became friendly with founding Vice-Chancellor Don Llewellyn and for nearly 50 years has supported building projects at the university as well as his ongoing prizes for economics students.

Mr Flower says he would like the Flower doctoral fellowship to go to a student who is interested in New Zealand’s agricultural future and the role we can play in feeding an increasing world population. “I’m not going to dictate the area of focus, it may be something that focuses on the need for greater food production, free trade agreements, New Zealand’s natural advantages in global agriculture, farm ownership and labour issues, or the impact of government policy and social ideology that shapes New Zealand agriculture.”

Professor Frank Scrimgeour, economist and dean of Waikato Management School says he’s known Bill Flower a long time and admires his commitment to education and the university. “He’s a thoughtful man who’s done a lot of work with young people over the years, giving them opportunities they might not normally receive. The fellowship is a very generous example of Bill’s kindness.”