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Story: Fire and agriculture

Spraying gorse

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Spraying gorse

A helicopter sprays a herbicide to get rid of gorse – a job that was once done by burning. Spraying is more controlled than burning, which always carried the risk of fires spreading.

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Department of Conservation

Reference: 10048830

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How to cite this page

Robert Peden, Fire and agriculture – Burning in modern agriculture, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/15223/spraying-gorse (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Robert Peden, published 1 March 2009.