Story: Manawatū and Horowhenua region

Cutting flax

Cutting flax

These men are cutting flax in the Makerua swamp, for processing at the Miranui flax mill near Shannon, in 1917. Owned by the Seifert brothers, Miranui (Māori for ‘big mill’) operated from 1907 to 1933, and was the largest in the district. At its peak there were seven stripping machines and 300 men employed. Compared to other mills, Miranui had excellent labour relations.

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: 1/2-065683; G

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, 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:

Malcolm McKinnon, 'Manawatū and Horowhenua region - Human impact on the environment', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/9469/cutting-flax (accessed 23 April 2024)

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, updated 1 Apr 2015