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Story: Government and agriculture

Scotch Thistle Ordinance 1862

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Scotch Thistle Ordinance 1862

The Taranaki Provincial Council passed the Scotch Thistle Ordinance in an attempt to stop the weed’s spread. It stated that after receiving notification, land occupiers could be fined up to 30 shillings a day for each day they did not cut, remove and destroy thistles. Despite the severity of the penalties, the ordinance had little effect in controlling the weed.

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National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past

Reference: Taranaki Herald, 15 February 1862, p. 4

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Tony Nightingale, Government and agriculture – Pest control, new products and incentives, 1876–1892, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/ephemera/18049/scotch-thistle-ordinance-1862 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Tony Nightingale, published 1 March 2009.