1
Introduction
Toitu he whenua, whatungarongaro he tangata.
The land is permanent, people come and go
Abstract
New Zealand’s soils are diverse, reflecting the varied and
dynamic landscape. Located on the boundary between the
Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, in the southern
mid-latitudes, and surrounded by oceans, New Zealand
consequently has: active tectonism, high mountains, and
generally fast rates of erosion; active volcanism; a varying
but generally temperate, mainly moist climate; and unique
flora and fauna. The soils of New Zealand were first
cultivated about 750 years ago by Māori with more
intensive agricultural development commencing around
1840 following the arrival of Europeans. About
two-thirds of New Zealand soils have now been developed for food production or other human use including
plantation forestry, with much of the remainder in native
vegetation, often in protected areas. Soils have an
essential role in the New Zealand economy, underpinning
food, wool, and forestry production as well as providing a
substrate for urban development, filtering of water, and
recycling of nutrients and wastes. Without agricultural
inputs New Zealand’s soils are generally of moderate or
low fertility. The use of fertilisers has greatly increased
soil productive capacity. The New Zealand Soil Classification identifies 15 Soil orders: Allophanic, Anthropic,
Brown, Gley, Granular, Melanic, Organic, Oxidic, Pallic,
Podzol, Pumice, Raw, Recent, Semiarid, and Ultic Soils.
1.1 Importance, Diversity,
and Development, of New Zealand Soils
The story of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s soils is particularly rich
and inspiring. The diverse character of the land and the activity
of people within the short ( 750 year) history of human
settlement all contribute to a unique soil assemblage. Māori
people traditionally regard the whenua (land) and all that
derives from it as sacred, interlinked to all life, and an integral
part of human ancestry. In Māori tradition Papatuanuku, the
‘Earth Mother’, along with Ranginui, the ‘Sky Father’, are the
source of all life on Earth. These deities encapsulate the earth,
air, and water that are the critical elements that interact to form
the soils on which most life depends.
Soils are essential to the New Zealand economy as they
support the food production industries, notably dairy, meat,
wine, apples, stone fruit, kiwifruit, vegetables, and other
horticultural products, along with wool and forestry, which
together accounted for about 45% of the country’s foreign
exchange income prior to 2020. Soils are vital to many other
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
A. E. Hewitt et al., The Soils of Aotearoa New Zealand, World Soils Book Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64763-6_1
1
Introduction
Toitu he whenua, whatungarongaro he tangata.
The land is permanent, people come and go
Abstract
New Zealand’s soils are diverse, reflecting the varied and
dynamic landscape. Located on the boundary between the
Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, in the southern
mid-latitudes, and surrounded by oceans, New Zealand
consequently has: active tectonism, high mountains, and
generally fast rates of erosion; active volcanism; a varying
but generally temperate, mainly moist climate; and unique
flora and fauna. The soils of New Zealand were first
cultivated about 750 years ago by Māori with more
intensive agricultural development commencing around
1840 following the arrival of Europeans. About
two-thirds of New Zealand soils have now been developed for food production or other human use including
plantation forestry, with much of the remainder in native
vegetation, often in protected areas. Soils have an
essential role in the New Zealand economy, underpinning
food, wool, and forestry production as well as providing a
substrate for urban development, filtering of water, and
recycling of nutrients and wastes. Without agricultural
inputs New Zealand’s soils are generally of moderate or
low fertility. The use of fertilisers has greatly increased
soil productive capacity. The New Zealand Soil Classification identifies 15 Soil orders: Allophanic, Anthropic,
Brown, Gley, Granular, Melanic, Organic, Oxidic, Pallic,
Podzol, Pumice, Raw, Recent, Semiarid, and Ultic Soils.
1.1 Importance, Diversity,
and Development, of New Zealand Soils
The story of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s soils is particularly rich
and inspiring. The diverse character of the land and the activity
of people within the short ( 750 year) history of human
settlement all contribute to a unique soil assemblage. Māori
people traditionally regard the whenua (land) and all that
derives from it as sacred, interlinked to all life, and an integral
part of human ancestry. In Māori tradition Papatuanuku, the
‘Earth Mother’, along with Ranginui, the ‘Sky Father’, are the
source of all life on Earth. These deities encapsulate the earth,
air, and water that are the critical elements that interact to form
the soils on which most life depends.
Soils are essential to the New Zealand economy as they
support the food production industries, notably dairy, meat,
wine, apples, stone fruit, kiwifruit, vegetables, and other
horticultural products, along with wool and forestry, which
together accounted for about 45% of the country’s foreign
exchange income prior to 2020. Soils are vital to many other
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
A. E. Hewitt et al., The Soils of Aotearoa New Zealand, World Soils Book Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64763-6_1
1