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Story: Rural language

Bush language

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Bush language

The word bush, meaning the forest that covered much of New Zealand in the 19th century, was used in various compound words to describe a wide range of things. Bushmen were workers who felled trees, usually in a gang. Here, bushman Joe Gordon sharpens his saw, at Kauaeranga, near Thames, in 1922.

Using this item

The Kauri Museum, Matakohe

Reference: H1993 224 216

Permission must be obtained from The Kauri Museum before this image is stored, reproduced, or altered in any form for any purpose.

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How to cite this page

Dianne Bardsley, Rural language – Settling the land, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/18596/bush-language (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Dianne Bardsley, published 1 March 2009.