Land settlement matters relating to Southland 1980-1990

Abstract

In the decade of the eighties some of the most dramatic changes occurred in farming in New Zealand history. I wish to deal with a small part of farming over this era, land settlement and the effect of these changes upon it. How the players reacted to these changes and the results, and the way they influenced changes, makes this history in the making and the circumstances quite unique. The main participants could be defined as the settlers, the government, the civil servants, the farming leaders, the rural community, the bankers and the media. This will cover mainly Southland district but has developed to cover the whole of New Zealand and reflects the way the settlers arose from a sleepy group into a force to be reckoned with. At this point I must comment on the strength and resilience of the people I worked with. Perhaps this is part of their make-up in that they are the modern day equivalent of the pioneer, breaking in new farms in remote and often inhospitable areas. With a sense of purpose, to succeed in their new venture in farming, and grateful for the chance to have a go, after personal sacrifices to even line up at the start, they show up as a determined animal. There were wrong decisions made along the way but I don't wish to be judgemental of those we opposed, accepting that they too were reacting to a new ball game with as yet no ground rules to apply. I see the need to record for posterity the settler side of events, hoping we can all learn from the experience and take the positive aspects to grow and to look to the future. With Land Corp now the largest farmer in New Zealand and the settlement scheme irreversibly changed forever what will we see happen to this land in the future? Will we ever see settlement of this land and what form will it take?