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Story: Farming in the economy

Managing soil erosion

Video file

W. L. Newnham, chair of the Soil and Rivers Control Council from 1942 until 1957, talks about the impact of farming and bush clearance on millions of acres of the New Zealand landscape. One of the solutions he proposes is to plant trees to prevent soil erosion on steep hill country.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Chairman's speech on soil conservation. National Film Unit, 1950

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Robert Peden, Farming in the economy – The closing of the farming frontier, 1900s to 1920, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/17631/managing-soil-erosion (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Robert Peden, published 1 March 2009.