Clean and green but messy: the contested landscape of New Zealand's organic farms

Abstract

New Zealand's 'Clean and Green' image of nature and landscape has been naturalised into the collective psyche of New Zealanders, and is continually being promoted to tourists and visitors. There is, however, a tension in this vision in the farmed landscape. While 'Clean' refers to un-polluted, pure, pristine landscape, it also has connotations of tidiness. The increasing trend towards organic farming brings an apparent contradiction to this image, as the practices of organic farming do not conform to the general tidy appearance of cultivated landscapes in New Zealand. This paper argues that landscape tastes of New Zealand farmers are underpinned by ideologies, world views and social values and suggests a framework that could provide a context for interpreting some of the meanings embodied in the New Zealand farming landscape.