Land evaluation thus involves the assessment of soils (or
land) to determine the suitability of the soils or land for an
intended enterprise. The bigger the contrast between the
‘ideal’ soil for a given land use, and the soil’s present state,
the greater the inputs or changes that may be needed to
accommodate a particular activity. Thus, the less suitable a
land area is for a given purpose the greater the consequent
development, maintenance, and environmental mitigation
costs are likely to be.
Information about soil and land management ranges from
traditional knowledge, through the soil classification (which
provides an understanding of the likely soil properties and
behavioural characteristics, Chaps. 1–17), to various systems
of soil mapping and evaluation as well as soil and land
assessment for a range of purposes. Ten soil and land
evaluation systems are briefly described in the following
sections. Ways to access valuable sets of land information
from regional and national databases are also included.
18.4.2 Traditional Knowledge Derived
from Local Experience
People who live and work on the land, and depend on it for
their food and/or income, observe the soil and associated
crop growth on a daily basis and thus build up a depth of
understanding of their land, often over many generations. It
is arrogant and misguided for scientists to arrive and start to
tell people how they should manage their land without first
taking the time to listen to, and understand, the local
knowledge and management methods. As every landholding
is unique, there are often local insights that may not be
immediately evident to the new arrival.
With regard to traditional Māori knowledge, tikanga, and
kaitiakitanga, some insight may be found in Elsdon Best’s
book, ‘Māori Agriculture’. In the twenty-first century, it is
important to consult with iwi to understand local concerns
and insights. The Māori language, in common with the
languages used by farmers worldwide, points to a universal
understanding of key soil properties. Descriptions of soil
colour, texture (sandy, clayey, heavy, light), the depth of the
soil, and its ability to grow particular plants or crops are
universal.
Astute land managers will develop a useful personal set
of knowledge of the behaviour of their land, and, with
continuing experience, grow this knowledge base over time.
Such knowledge has traditionally been passed on through
oral traditions and hands-on teaching. However, it is of
advantage to others on similar land, or to those who follow,
to communicate the understanding in forms that can be
shared more widely. Science-based soil classification, mapping, and land evaluation tools provide a means not only to
capture and communicate information about the soil and its
potential uses but also to extrapolate knowledge gained in
one area to other places with similar soils and conditions.
Soil mapping and land evaluation thus provide information
needed to build the knowledge base of those who lack the
intimate knowledge of experienced farmers and gardeners.
18.4.3 Soil Maps and Associated Information
New Zealand has a long and excellent legacy of soil mapping. The first recorded soil ‘map’ in New Zealand was of
the Wairau Plains, published in 1914 by Leonard Wild. The
need for soil surveys was increasingly recognised in the
early 1920s. (Sir) Theodore Rigg, at the Cawthron Institute
in Nelson, initiated soil mapping of Waimea County with a
soil map prepared in 1922. Geologist Hartley Ferrar, and
others, undertook agro-geological surveys in Northland,
Otago, and the King Country. Ferrar recognised the importance of mapping soils and developed soil maps based on the
geological parent materials and soil texture. In 1929, he
published a report on the soils of the irrigation areas in
Central Otago.
In central North Island, two quests drove early mapping.
The first was the need to develop an understanding of volcanic hazard, and Leslie Grange began mapping volcanic
deposits including ‘ash showers’ (tephras) in 1926. The
second quest was to try to understand the cause of the
so-called ‘bush sickness’ disease that affected sheep and
cattle (now known to be a vitamin B12 deficiency caused by
a lack of cobalt in soils and herbage, Chap. 12). Grange and
Norman Taylor began mapping soils in the bush-sick areas
in central North Island in 1930 (directed by Rigg) and
showed a correlation between the Pumice Soils and incidence of bush sickness. The close association between soil
type (particularly the soils formed on the pumiceous Taupo
and Kaharoa tephras) and bush sickness demonstrated the
potential power of soil surveys. This led to the formation of
the Soil Survey Division as a separate entity within the
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) in
1936, with Grange its first director. By 1939, a number of
detailed soil surveys, including Westport District and Waipa
County, had been published as DSIR bulletins. The Waipa
survey, led by Grange and Taylor and carried out between
1933 and 1935, included the novel use of purpose-flown
aerial photographs. It established a format and methodology
for mapping at reasonably large scale (1: 31,680) that was
then applied to the rest of New Zealand. The once close
connection established between landowners and the soil
surveyors means that the soil series names adopted in the
survey remain in use by farmers to this day.
World War II brought increased impetus to the soil
mapping effort with a reconnaissance soil map of the whole
North Island completed, along with a number of more
18.4 Soil and Land Evaluation in New Zealand
297
land) to determine the suitability of the soils or land for an
intended enterprise. The bigger the contrast between the
‘ideal’ soil for a given land use, and the soil’s present state,
the greater the inputs or changes that may be needed to
accommodate a particular activity. Thus, the less suitable a
land area is for a given purpose the greater the consequent
development, maintenance, and environmental mitigation
costs are likely to be.
Information about soil and land management ranges from
traditional knowledge, through the soil classification (which
provides an understanding of the likely soil properties and
behavioural characteristics, Chaps. 1–17), to various systems
of soil mapping and evaluation as well as soil and land
assessment for a range of purposes. Ten soil and land
evaluation systems are briefly described in the following
sections. Ways to access valuable sets of land information
from regional and national databases are also included.
18.4.2 Traditional Knowledge Derived
from Local Experience
People who live and work on the land, and depend on it for
their food and/or income, observe the soil and associated
crop growth on a daily basis and thus build up a depth of
understanding of their land, often over many generations. It
is arrogant and misguided for scientists to arrive and start to
tell people how they should manage their land without first
taking the time to listen to, and understand, the local
knowledge and management methods. As every landholding
is unique, there are often local insights that may not be
immediately evident to the new arrival.
With regard to traditional Māori knowledge, tikanga, and
kaitiakitanga, some insight may be found in Elsdon Best’s
book, ‘Māori Agriculture’. In the twenty-first century, it is
important to consult with iwi to understand local concerns
and insights. The Māori language, in common with the
languages used by farmers worldwide, points to a universal
understanding of key soil properties. Descriptions of soil
colour, texture (sandy, clayey, heavy, light), the depth of the
soil, and its ability to grow particular plants or crops are
universal.
Astute land managers will develop a useful personal set
of knowledge of the behaviour of their land, and, with
continuing experience, grow this knowledge base over time.
Such knowledge has traditionally been passed on through
oral traditions and hands-on teaching. However, it is of
advantage to others on similar land, or to those who follow,
to communicate the understanding in forms that can be
shared more widely. Science-based soil classification, mapping, and land evaluation tools provide a means not only to
capture and communicate information about the soil and its
potential uses but also to extrapolate knowledge gained in
one area to other places with similar soils and conditions.
Soil mapping and land evaluation thus provide information
needed to build the knowledge base of those who lack the
intimate knowledge of experienced farmers and gardeners.
18.4.3 Soil Maps and Associated Information
New Zealand has a long and excellent legacy of soil mapping. The first recorded soil ‘map’ in New Zealand was of
the Wairau Plains, published in 1914 by Leonard Wild. The
need for soil surveys was increasingly recognised in the
early 1920s. (Sir) Theodore Rigg, at the Cawthron Institute
in Nelson, initiated soil mapping of Waimea County with a
soil map prepared in 1922. Geologist Hartley Ferrar, and
others, undertook agro-geological surveys in Northland,
Otago, and the King Country. Ferrar recognised the importance of mapping soils and developed soil maps based on the
geological parent materials and soil texture. In 1929, he
published a report on the soils of the irrigation areas in
Central Otago.
In central North Island, two quests drove early mapping.
The first was the need to develop an understanding of volcanic hazard, and Leslie Grange began mapping volcanic
deposits including ‘ash showers’ (tephras) in 1926. The
second quest was to try to understand the cause of the
so-called ‘bush sickness’ disease that affected sheep and
cattle (now known to be a vitamin B12 deficiency caused by
a lack of cobalt in soils and herbage, Chap. 12). Grange and
Norman Taylor began mapping soils in the bush-sick areas
in central North Island in 1930 (directed by Rigg) and
showed a correlation between the Pumice Soils and incidence of bush sickness. The close association between soil
type (particularly the soils formed on the pumiceous Taupo
and Kaharoa tephras) and bush sickness demonstrated the
potential power of soil surveys. This led to the formation of
the Soil Survey Division as a separate entity within the
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) in
1936, with Grange its first director. By 1939, a number of
detailed soil surveys, including Westport District and Waipa
County, had been published as DSIR bulletins. The Waipa
survey, led by Grange and Taylor and carried out between
1933 and 1935, included the novel use of purpose-flown
aerial photographs. It established a format and methodology
for mapping at reasonably large scale (1: 31,680) that was
then applied to the rest of New Zealand. The once close
connection established between landowners and the soil
surveyors means that the soil series names adopted in the
survey remain in use by farmers to this day.
World War II brought increased impetus to the soil
mapping effort with a reconnaissance soil map of the whole
North Island completed, along with a number of more
18.4 Soil and Land Evaluation in New Zealand
297