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Story: Farming and the environment

Hill country erosion

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Hill country erosion

The erosion of steep hill country pasture has occurred in most regions of the North Island. It is usually caused by large slips, which happen when the soil is saturated from a long period of rainfall, or when heavy rain falls in a short period. Land is more susceptible to slips when bush has been replaced by pasture. This slip is on a steep, mudstone slope north of Whanganui.

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Department of Conservation

Reference: 10060231

by Astrid van Meeuwen-Dijkgraaf

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How to cite this page

Julia Haggerty and Hugh Campbell, Farming and the environment – Environmental impacts in the 2000s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/17897/hill-country-erosion (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Julia Haggerty and Hugh Campbell, published 1 March 2009.