Story: Sheep farming

Sheep numbers in New Zealand, 1851–2014

The increase in sheep numbers between 1851 and the 1920s was based largely on the natural, unimproved fertility of the country’s soils. In the South Island this phase lasted until the early 1890s, by which time the North Island bush was being turned into pasture. As soil fertility started to decline, the growth in sheep numbers slowed, but the application of science to agriculture helped counter this trend from the 1920s to 1950. The introduction of aerial topdressing in 1949, relatively cheap superphosphate, and high prices for meat and wool generated the rapid rise in sheep numbers through the 1950s and 1960s. Government subsidies helped maintain that growth through the 1970s. The removal of subsidies and the restructuring of the agricultural industry led to a steep decline in sheep numbers in the last two decades of the 20th century. Sheep numbers have continued to fall – they were around 40 million in 2002 and by 2014 were estimated at 29.6 million.

Using this item

Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Sources: G. T. Bloomfield, New Zealand: a handbook of historical statistics. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1984, and Statistics New Zealand

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How to cite this page:

Hugh Stringleman and Robert Peden, 'Sheep farming - Importance of the sheep industry', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/16621/sheep-numbers-in-new-zealand-1851-2014 (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Hugh Stringleman and Robert Peden, published 24 Nov 2008, updated 1 Mar 2015