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Kōrero: Farm fencing

Hedges and gates

Image
Hedges and gates

Hedges, also known as live fencing, were another popular method for subdividing paddocks before the widespread use of wire fencing. This 1894 watercolour of a Hutt Valley farm shows hedges holding cattle. There is extensive hedging in the background, and on the right there is a wire fence. The wooden gate, swung off a heavy post, provides access for stock, people and machinery.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: C-014-010

by Roger Harrison

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.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Robert Peden, Farm fencing – Early fencing methods, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/artwork/15291/hedges-and-gates (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Robert Peden, i tāngia i te 1 March 2009.