Farming
Dairy farming has been the basis of Taranaki’s economy since the 1880s, and has made a major contribution to the region’s social structure.
Part of story: Taranaki region
Farm mechanisation
From ploughs pulled by bullock teams to air-conditioned tractors; from blade shears to electric shearing machines – agricultural machinery has helped make farm work easier and faster.
Part of story: Farm mechanisation
Sheep farming
Sheep farming was crucial in the development of New Zealand's economy, and for 130 years was the most important agricultural industry.
Part of story: Sheep farming
Farm families
Early European settlers in New Zealand often lived in great isolation in the countryside. Men outnumbered women at first but slowly rural families became the norm.
Part of story: Farm families
Beef farming
Grazing its cattle on pasture year-round, New Zealand supplies about 8% of the world’s export beef trade – but beef farming has long been the poor cousin of the sheep and dairy industries.