Early Kiwi Farming Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wool production

Wealthy settlers opened up the lower North Island for sheep in the late 1840s and moved on to the South Island in the 1850s. In 1848 there were 1 million sheep. By 1865 there were 9 million sheep.

Answer: Edible fungus

He found an edible fungus, Auricularia polytricha (Wood ear, Taranaki wool, Black Gold). It was similar to a Chinese species (Muk'u) and on sold through Dunedin merchant Choie Sew Hoy to California, Australia and China. He was born in southern China in 1828 and came to Taranaki via the gold rush regions of Australia and Otago(NZ).

He set up a chain of stores in Taranaki. He later went on to pioneer factory production of dairy products in the Taranaki region. He designed a cooling system for storing cream and his penchant for order meant he was the first to market butter in the standard one pound block.

He was inducted into the NZ Business Hall of Fame 70 years after his death in 1920 at age 92.(There were no native mammals to get furs or deer velvet in large amounts. Moas were already extinct by this time).

Answer: 250 km

He led her by a halter from Marton to his Bell Block farm to kick start New Zealand dairy farming. Prior to this English shorthorn had been the preferred breed.

Answer: True

In 1800 there were only 50 Europeans resident in New Zealand and between 100,000 and 200,000 Maori. As increasing numbers of settlers arrived wanting land to farm they sometimes moved onto areas where ownership was disputed. This resulted in tensions which triggered conflict with colonists.

These wars lasted from the 1840s to the 1880s. The Maori proved adept and innovative in warfare and inflicted several defeats on the colonial forces. As well as being superior while fighting in the bush they developed trenches to withstand artillery bombardment several decades before they were employed in Europe in WWI.

These wars and inter-tribal rivalries, as well as disease saw the Maori poulation decrease to only 40,000 by 1900. In the end overwhelming numerical superiority and armaments won the day for the settlers.

Answer: Refrigeration

Refrigeration allowed perishable goods such as meat, butter, cheese, etc. to be exported to other countries. Another factor in the transformation was the decrease in shipping rates associated with having faster ships with the change from sail to steam. Costs fell by 75% with this development.

Answer: Britain

New Zealand was colonised primarily by the British. It was thought of as Britain's farm. Over 90 percent of NZ's export income came from agricultural production. It continued to be easily the largest market for our produce until the 1970s.

Answer: Rabbits

Rabbits were introduced to provide sport (hunting) for the early settlers. Especially in the South Island the number of rabbits reached plague proportions. The favourable climate associated with a lack of predators assured their success. Weasels and stoats were introduced to combat them but these predators moved into the native forests to prey on the vulnerable, largely flightless native birds that had lived for eons in NZ with no mammal predators. Possums were introduced from Australia to start a fur trade but again favourable conditions and lack of predators allowed them to flourish. Protected in their native Australia they have been the target of widespread control programmes in NZ but their numbers are still in the tens of millions. Rats have helped decimate native bird populations.

Answer: Cheap phosphate supplies from Nauru

Phosphate fertiliser applications allowed land that had reached its environmental limits to become more productive. Some areas, especially the South Island, had reached environmental capacity around 1900. Aerial spreading of fertiliser helped turn it around on the rugged hills commonly used in drystock farming.

Answer: The Depression

High prices for products sold during World War I inflated farm prices and when many ex-servicemen returned to purchase farms they had high debts. When prices fell and the credit crunch came, one third of these farms failed and they walked off the land leaving the bush and scrub to retake these properties.

Answer: True

Boxthorn (Lycium ferrocissimum) was introduced from South Africa in the 1870s. It proved to be an effective barrier to stock as it thrived in the temperate climate and was the hedge of choice to withstand the harsh salt laden winds that batter South Taranaki.

Its success proved a double edged sword though as it grows to cover a 10 m diameter and its 5 cm thorns can puncture tyres and cattle feet. Until machinery was adapted to cut back these hedges they had to be cut by hand. It can only be killed by pulling the whole plant out roots and all and is now classed a noxious weed in NZ.