The name “Hanley” has been associated with the Hassall family since the early 1800s. Marks’ Great Great Great Grandfather Thomas Hassall, born near Hanley, Staffordshire in England arrived in Canterbury on the ship “Minerva” in 1853 with his wife Maria and family.

In 1866 they moved to Clarkville and farmed a property they named Hanley after their home. Their son Thomas, born in 1847 in Caverswall, Staffordshire, was six years old when the family emigrated to New Zealand. He later married Harriet Keetley in Kaiapoi in 1873. Harriet emigrated to Christchurch with her family in 1859. Thomas and Harriet also farmed at Hanley and had fifteen children. One of Thomas’ sons also Thomas, settled at Waikari in North Canterbury in the early 1920s and married Florence Heyward of Clarkville. They had four children, Florence, Leicester, Austin and Arthur.

Thomas later remarried Daisy Wilson and had two children Brian and Elaine. Leicester Heyward Hassall was born at Kaiapoi on 29th December, 1902 and married Millicent Gertrude Frost from Clarkville. Leicester and Millicent lived at Clarkville and Amberley before settling at The Peaks where in 1934, Leicester bought a farm called “The Glen”. They had six children, John, Thomas (Tom), Peter, David, Rosemary and William (Bill). Bill married Geraldine Hope and initially lived on a Horsley Down settlement farm. Not long after Millicents’ death in 1969, Bill sold his Horsley Down farm to his father Leicester and Leicester sold “the Glen” to Bill.

The Costellos Road connection began when brothers John and Tom bought Longlea and later, in 1950, purchased a scrub covered block opposite. They ran both farms in partnership. Leicester bought Taholo while still at the Glen. Leicester died in 1995. In 1956 Tom married Elaine Hubert from North Beach in Christchurch. Elaine came to Hawarden School as a new entrant teacher.
They lived at Taholo for a few years eventually moving across the road. Tom named the block Hanley. John continued farming Longlea while later Toms’ younger brother David managed Taholo. Tom and Elaine had three children Elizabeth, Mark and Simon.

In 1970 Tom and Elaine purchased a 160-hectare block in Bishells Road, originally owned by Jack Bishell whom the road is named after, from Snow and Elizabeth Gilmore. “The River Farm”, as it is referred to by the Hassall family, was adjacent to Hanley. Tom and Elaines’ son Mark returned to the family farm in 1991 and bought Hanley in 1994. Tom and Elaine retained two blocks. The River Farm seemed the perfect site for grapevines, an idea Mark had been developing and investigated on his return. Mark married Wendy Alabaster in 2000 and with his daughter Christine, welcomed three more children Isaac, Samuel and Sean.
The Hanley - Hassall link continues with the 6th and 7th generation spanning 180 years.