Preserving the brownies' portion : a history of voluntary nature conservation organisations in New Zealand 1888-1935

The systematic colonisation of New Zealand by Europeans from 1840 onwards led to rapid changes of the natural environment. Inhabited until then by relatively small numbers of Polynesians, New Zealand's insular biogeography made it particularly susceptible to the impact of an advanced western technology and economy. Within less than 50 years of the declaration of British sovereignty, the first organised nature conservation groups had emerged. In contrast to other studies of nature conservation in New Zealand, this thesis examines the succession of small voluntary groups dedicated to the preservation of scenery and protection of wildlife between 1888 and 1935. These groups played an important role in raising public awareness of the values of nature conservation in the face of the dominant views of settler society which was predicated upon the subjugation and exploitation of nature. The first two chapters examine the wider intellectual climate within which the groups arose. Chapter One discusses the key idea which militated against conservation, centering around the doctrine of progress. The second chapter examines the ideas which led to the growing conservation consciousness which was an international phenomenon at the end of the nineteenth century. The influence of romanticism and developments in science promoted by the Darwinian revolution emerge as key factors. The remaining chapters focus on the efforts of individual groups, beginning with the Dunedin and Suburban Reserves Conservation Society. Chapter Four examines the most successful of the nineteenth-century groups, the Taranaki Scenery Preservation Society. The widening of the movement is covered in Chapter Five, which documents the efforts of groups in Auckland, Christchurch, Nelson, Wanganui, and Wellington, though information on all of these is sparse. Chapter Six focuses on an important but unsuccessful campaign to protect lowland forests in the Rai Valley, Marlborough, a conflict which illustrates the difficulties the movement faced. Hitherto best-known of the early groups, Harry Ell's Summit Road Association is discussed in Chapter Seven. The final three chapters examine groups which aspired, with varying degrees of success, to be national in scope and which were more scientific in their orientation. The evolving philosophical framework of nature conservation in New Zealand is central to Chapter Eight, which examines the contribution of the first Forest and Bird Protection Society. Members of this Society included the key conservation thinkers of the time, among them Leonard Cockayne, Harry Ell, George Malcolm Thomson, Herbert Guthrie-Smith, and the first notable woman conservationist, Blanche Baughan. Chapter Nine examines the role of the New Zealand Forestry League, which played an important role in the promotion of the New Zealand Forest Service. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the early years of the first of the modem nature conservation groups, the Native Bird Protection Society, known since 1935 as the Forest and Bird Protection Society

Administrative and managerial responses to changes in economic and ecological conditions in New Zealand tussock grasslands

When faced with new opportunities for pastoralism our first investors of risk capital outwitted the restraints of Government. In a long period of consequent pastoral degeneration where carrying capacity was repeatedly exceeded, runholders contrived to maintain their land hold and solvency, with little effective attention by Government to the public interest. In the present renewed opportunity, is there any way in which public policy can learn from changing conditions or must it respond only to pressures and preconceptions

Resource management and the rule of law : the role of the courts

This study examines the ways in which legal remedies can be used in order to achieve the goals of resource management. However, the discussion is confined to remedies available under the common law. The introduction sets out the background to the study and defines the nature of the problem. Chapter One outlines the constitutional principles underlying the legal system which define the scope of the courts' power. An appreciation of the courts' constitutional position is essential for understanding both the limits and the potential of the courts' role. Chapter Two discusses the major private law actions applicable to resource management problems. These are the torts actions of trespass, nuisance, public nuisance, negligence, breach of statutory duty, and the rule in Rylands v Fletcher. It concludes that their very nature as private law actions entails serious disadvantages from the perspective of resource management which is concerned with the public interest. Of these actions public nuisance is best suited to dealing with resource management problems. Chapter Three deals with the public law remedy of judicial review. This remedy is designed to ensure that administrative agencies operate within the limits of power delegated to them by the legislature. Because of the nature of this remedy, resource management issues cannot be examined on their merits. Nevertheless, in spite of its limitations, judicial review can be a useful tool for achieving resource management goals. The final chapter examines the arguments for and against expanding the role of the courts in resolving resource management disputes. It focuses on the Michigan Environmental Protection Act as an example of potential measures in overcoming the limitations of the common law in dealing with resource issues

Water and choice in Canterbury : review and assessment of research priorities for lower Rakaia and central plains irrigation planning

This report presents the results of a multi-disciplinary research project funded by the Ministry of Works and Development to review and evaluate the economic, social and environmental impacts of developing the water resources of the Rakaia River catchment