“PRODUCTIVE LAND MOST IMPORTANT N.Z. RESOURCE”

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 26617, 20 June 1958, Page 9

“PRODUCTIVE LAND MOST IMPORTANT N.Z. RESOURCE”

Productive land, by far the most important of New Zealand’s national resources, is very limited in area; we are short of good productive soil, and we must conserve the little we have, says the first Town and Country Planning Bulletin issued by the Ministry of Works. Almost all the larger towns are located on these few highly productive areas, most of them on our very best soils. Annually these towns are spreading outwards, taking more and more land out of production, and blighting much larger areas with the threat of imminent encroachment. Setting out some of the startling facts of the present position the bulletin reminds local authorities that New Zealand’s rate of population increase is among the highest in the world—a numerical increase of 47.000 persons a year., This means that in the next four weeks there will be additional population equivalent to another Te Kuiti or another Lyttelton; in the next six months the new population will equal that of New Plymouth or Timaru; by this time next year the increase will be equivalent to thepopulation of Lower Hutt city; and by 1976 it will be equal to one and a half times the present population of the South Island. Vast Investment A vast investment in capital equipment will be necessary to provide for this growth, includins more of all the things now taken for granted—more houses, shops, schools, factories. and public buildings; more electricity, radios, telephones, water supplies, sewers; and more public and private transport, by rail, road and air. Much of this costly capital equipment must come from abroad, the bulletin says. To buy it. credit funds must be established overseas, but the principal source of these funds is the soil Thus if New Zealand is to grow as a nation and to maintain her stahdard of living the productive soils must be conserved. The bulletin says that the pattern of development over the last 20 years makes it obvious that the bulk of the population increase will find work in the towns, and most of the current urban development is already sprawling over the very limitedareas of good productive, land. An increase of almost 50 per cent, is forecast in the numbers of persons actually employed in urban industry by 1976. and to this must be added their families and other dependants. If ribbon and sporadic urban development continues on its present scale how much of our precious good productive land will have been driven out of .production by that date? Use of Powers In setting out the answer to the problem, the bulletin urges local

authorities to , use their powers under the Town and Country Planning legislation strictly to limit urban development in counties, and to apply the maximum rural zoning in boroughs. The legislation requires that productive land be conserved by being included in a rural zone in which cjose subdivision and urban development are not permitted. Whilst a district planning scheme is being prepared, all local authorities have full powers to prohibit or refuse subdivisions and other developments not likely to conform with their scheme.

Most of the ribbon and sporadic urban development takes place in the counties, the bulletin says, and the increasing annual loss of good farm land it causes is striking at the heart of our national resources. Land once taken out of production in this way is land lost for ever.