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Kōrero: Rural language

Land fever

Image
Land fever

The rush for land was described by various terms, including earth hunger, land fever, land seeking and run-hunting. This 1861 cartoon depicts the race to obtain and settle land in the mid-19th century. At the time, large parts of Otago had been designated goldfields, but pastoralists were keen to move into these areas as most available land was already in runs.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Hocken Collections, University of Otago

Reference: 7,739

by James Brown

Permission of the Hocken Collections Uare Taoka o Hakena, University of Otago, must be obtained before any re-use of this image. Further information may be obtained from the Library through its website.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Dianne Bardsley, Rural language – Settling the land, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/artwork/18593/land-fever (accessed 25 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Dianne Bardsley, i tāngia i te 1 March 2009.