In the early 1950s, Harold Raymond Fisken - “Chappy” to most - had a few good trotting horses and a serious problem.
As a second generation horseman, he knew that good horse feed had the ability to improve speed and stamina on the racetrack. But he just wasn’t finding any feed options that met his standards.
The good stuff was way too expensive. And the rest simply wasn’t good enough. So, Chappy did what Kiwis have always done when faced with a lack of options: he fixed the problem himself.
He sourced top-quality oats and oaten chaff directly from the best-known and most trusted growers in Southland. By avoiding middle men, he kept the price of this little DIY project to a minimum. Then he was off to mix his own feed right there at the kitchen table.
Finally, he had what he was looking for. This feed wasn’t just roughage. It was real fuel, it was affordable,and it worked. His horses began to look better. Train harder. Win more.
Trainers at the track started to notice.
“What are you feeding them?”
“Can you make a bit extra for me?”
From those questions, a business was born.
A Legacy That Started with One Great Race
Chappy may have started the business, but his family’s love of horses goes back over 100 years to his father, Bob “Fuff” Fisken.
In 1926, Fuff made New Zealand racing history when his mighty American-bred stallion Peterwah became the first to complete the Dominion Handicap’s two-mile course in under four and a half minutes. That race, and the passion behind it, helped set the path for the next four generations.
Fuff could never have imagined that his love of horses and success on the track would have led, four generations later, to a family business making feed.
A House Full of Oats — and a Shed Out Back
As word spread about Chappy’s feeds, demand took off. The house filled up with sacks of grain - the kitchen, hallways, even bedrooms. Every spare corner. Eventually, to save the family home (and restore some order), Chappy built a shed out the back.
In 1957, HR Fisken & Sons as we know it today, was officially open for business.
There was no sales team. No fancy brochures. Just a man, a shed and feed that worked. And that was enough.
“No feed store could compete with the quality or the price,” recalls Chappy’s son Graham Fisken. “It was made fresh. Sourced smart. And priced so that everyday horse owners could afford it.”
From Grain to Gear: The Business Expands
Chappy’s son Graham and his wife Marie took things further. They added a saddlery alongside the feed mill, offering gear, advice and service for the growing local equine community.
As Chappy’s grandson John Fisken explains:
“Poppa used to sit on the front step and talk to everyone. He noticed that when people bought feed, they often needed other things too. That’s where Mum and Dad got the idea of opening a tack shop”
It wasn’t just a feed store anymore. It became a trusted stop for trainers, riders and rural families - a place where you could get what you needed, and get good advice with it.
New Generations, Same Values
Today, the business is run by Chappy’s grandson, John Fisken — a Massey agriculture graduate whose path to taking over the family business included working grain farms in the UK, volunteering with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and even serving with the UN in Bosnia.
“Some of those experiences had nothing to do with horses,” John laughs, “but they helped me understand what really matters.”
Since John came back from overseas in 1997, the business has modernised significantly, growing its product range and improving the customer experience - from a once dark, dusty shed to a expanded space that now serves trainers, riders, farmers, lifestyle block owners and urban dog and chook owners alike.
Plus - you can now get the best and cheapest coffee and hot chocolate in Pukekohe, with a chocolate fish and a marshmallow! All with no parking hassles - stop your car, get out, no need to even lock it!
The product range has grown too:
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Fresh feed for racehorses, broodmares and sporthorses
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Nutrient-balanced options for calves, dairy cows, pigs, goats
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Feed for chooks, birds and even dogs
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Specialised lines like the Ultra Low GI cool feed with “super fibres” for grain-sensitive horses.
“Our feed isn’t made to sit on shelves forever like plutonium,” John jokes. “It’s made fresh. And it works.”
Month after month, year after year, generations of local racehorse owners and trainers have been coming to Fiskens in Pukekohe to buy their feed. They know it’s top quality feed at a good price. In fact, the best you’ll find in New Zealand.
Still Kiwi-Owned. Still Doing It Right.
While Pukekohe has changed - with housing developments inching closer by the year — HR Fisken & Sons is staying right where it is.
From a few bags of oats on the kitchen table to one of New Zealand’s most respected feed brands, the Fisken name still stands for quality, affordability and good old-fashioned service.
Because this was never just about feed.
It was about solving problems. Fueling performance. And helping generations of animals - and the people who care for them - do better.
Premium quality animal feed at unbeatable prices - since 1957.