Story: Land ownership

Deserted houses, Shetland Islands

Deserted houses, Shetland Islands

In the 1860s and 1870s landowners on the Shetland Islands, north of Scotland, began a process of clearances that deprived tenant farmers, or crofters, of access to land. The evicted crofters left behind their stone houses. Many migrated to New Zealand bringing with them an appreciation of the value of land ownership, and of the independence and security it can provide.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Photograph by Jock Phillips

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How to cite this page:

Jim McAloon, 'Land ownership - Early Pākehā land settlement', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/17892/deserted-houses-shetland-islands (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Jim McAloon, published 24 Nov 2008