Marginality, adaptation and farming in the New Zealand high country

Abstract

New Zealand's mountain areas are sparsely populated, and the directimpact of disasters in these areas is largely on agriculturalcommunities and communication networks. Subject to earthquakes (mainlyin the Southern Alps) and volcanic eruptions (on the Central Plateau ofNorth Island) New Zealand's mountain areas are more generally subject toproblems of erosion and land slips and in the south, irregular, extremesnow falls. The impact of exceptionally heavy snow falls over the past150 years of European settlement is relatively well documented. Whilemodern technology might be thought to have lessened such impacts, therecent snowstorm of 2006 in South Canterbury highlights how suchhazardous events continue to impact on communities in mountain andupland areas. The increased dependence on modern communicationtechnologies and changes in the operation and management of modern farmsystems are shown to compound the social and economic impact of suchevents. This impact is significantly modified by the size and structureof the farms concerned.