Early Life
Holyoake was born at Mangamutu, a short distance from Pahiatua, a town in New Zealand's Wairarapa region, the son of Henry Victor Holyoake and Esther Eves. The Holyoakes great-grandparents settled in the district in 1843 (his maternal great-grandparents, William and Sarah Eves settled in Nelson in 1842), and were relatives of 19th century radical George Holyoake. The Holyoakes ran a small general store and consequentially moved around the country often. His family lived for a time in both Hastings and Tauranga, but in 1913, settled in Riwaka, near Motueka.
At age 12, having left school after his father's death, Holyoake worked on the family hop and tobacco farm in Riwaka. His mother had trained as a school teacher, and continued his education at home. After taking over the management of the farm, he became involved in various local farming associations, something that increased his interest in politics.
Read more about this topic: Keith Holyoake
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