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Under The Microscope

LAND AND WATER, WATER AND SOIL CONSERVATION AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT IN NEW ZEALAND 1941-1988, by Michael Roche; Historical Branch, Dept Internal Affairs, 1994; 224 pages; $20.00 (paperback)

With this book, I thought I was in for a dry and boring read, but was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying it.

Michael Roche has taken a topic vital to economic life in New Zealand -- the condition of our water and soil resources -- and discussed the legislation and organisations set up by the New Zealand government to manage these resources.

In doing this, he brings to life the people behind the various boards and authorities, and the struggle they had to make credible the issues of soil erosion and conservation against an extremely strong agricultural lobby.

The passing of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act in 1941 was the beginning of a more co-ordinated approach to environmental conservation. However there was much debate as to whether New Zealand actually had a soil erosion problem, and if so, whether the current agricultural land management (or lack of) was contributing to or causing the erosion. There was also the tug-of-war about whether research and farmer education should be carried out by the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council or the Department of Agriculture. Land and Water describes these issues in great detail, and continues with the growing importance of water allocation and quality leading to the 1967 Water and Soil Conservation Act and the setting up of the National Water and Soil Conservation Authority which operated until the mid 1980s. The book concludes by looking at the deregulation and decentralisation of the late 1980s and the Resource Management Act of 1991.

This book gives a fascinating glimpse at this period of New Zealand history. As well as being a good read generally, there is a wealth of information that would be of use to anyone studying a range of topics to do with conservation, the environment, water use and allocation, central versus regional government, and so on. There is an extensive reference section and bibliography for further reading and study, and at $20 it is well worth buying.

As part of her degree in Physical Geography, Ros Davis studied soil and water issues and wishes she had had this book then.