Intensity of Dairy Farming in Counties in New Zealand

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 85, Issue 4, 15 October 1952, Page 288

Intensity of Dairy Farming in Counties in New Zealand

By .

W. N. PATON,

Senior Investigational

Officer, Department of Agriculture, Wellington

THE dairy farming group of New Zealand farm holdings, which comprises all those where 50 per cent, or more of the total farming effort is devoted to dairy farming of one form or another, is discussed in this article, the third of a series based on detailed classification of data on agricultural and pastoral holdings obtained in the 1949-50 season's special collection for the 1950 World Census of Agriculture. The percentage of dairy holdings to all holdings within a county is used as the index of the degree of popularity of dairy farming. These percentages are shown for all counties in the accompanying graphs.

AN asterisk is shown against the names of counties where more holdings are devoted to dairy farming than to any other main type of farming. There are 50 of these in the North Island and 15 in the South Island. These counties may be termed “dairy counties”. Some of them gain the distinction on a surprisingly low percentage of holdings devoted to dairying, as, for example, in Rangiora (29.5 per cent.) and Taieri (29.4 per cent.). A generally wider diversity of farming types is found in most South Island counties, and where three or more main types have substantial followings the percentage for the leading one may be appreciably below 50 per cent., as in the cases quoted.

Most Intensive Dairying Counties

The higher the percentage of holdings in a county concerned in dairy farming the more intensive a dairycounty it may be deemed to be. With this basis as a criterion the most intensive dairy counties in New Zealand, ranked in descending order and with their percentages in parentheses, are: Waimate West (92.0), Piako (87.0), Egmont (86.6), Whakatane (85.4), Hauraki Plains (84.5), Inglewood (84.4), Eltham (80.5), Taranaki (79.6), Waikato (79.5), Franklin (79.1) Matamata (77.1), Stratford (77.0), Waipa (76.9), Hokianga (76.5), Opotiki (76.0), Ohinemuri (75.6), Otorohanga (74.0), Clifton (71.6), Whangaroa (70.9), Mangonui (69.9), Whangarei (69.7), Hawera (69.6), Otamatea (68.1), Rodney (66.8), Takaka (65.7), Manawatu (65.4), Kairanga (65.1) Hobson (64.8), Woodville (64.7), Thames (63.7), and Tauranga (61.6).

Not unexpectedly Taranaki is the most prominently placed district, followed closely by South Auckland and with Northland in third place. Only one South Island county, Takaka, gains a place in this list, and only two others, Murchison and Buller, come in the group with 50 per cent, and under 60 per cent, of their holdings respectively devoted to dairying. In some counties there are appreciable numbers of holdings included in the agricultural and pastoral returns which are used mainly for residential purposes, more particularly in counties close to large urban centres. Some counties have a considerable number of holdings included

in the returns which are shown as “unused” agriculturally. The percentages of holdings devoted to the main types of farming in such instances are reduced accordingly. Least Intensive Dairying Counties An indication of the reverse position, that is where dairy farming is practised least, is given in the following list of counties in which the percentage of dairy holdings is less than 10: Weber (0.0), Stewart Island (1.0), Amuri (1.9), Chatham Islands (2.1), Sounds (3.0), Mackenzie (3.4), Waipukurau (3.4), Malvern (3.5), Waipara (3.7), Maniatoto (4.5), Ashley (5.2), Selwyn (5.6), Akitio (5.8), Awatere (6.1), Vincent (6.1), Tuapeka (7.6), Cheviot (7.9), Patangata (8.9), Waimate (9.0), Ashburton (9.2), and Lake (9.9). It must not be assumed that because Weber shows 0.0 per cent, there are no dairy cows in the county. Weber had 134 dairy cows in milk on 31 January 1950. The 0.0 per cent, signifies that of the 64 holdings in Weber County ■ not one of them had dairying at as much as 50 per cent, of the total farming effort for the holding. The following table groups the counties according to the level of their respective percentages:—

In the South Island dairying has more competition from other land uses than it has in the North Island. Dairying predominates in several counties close to the two. main urban centres, Christchurch, and Dunedin. Christchurch has close at hand the dairy counties of . Springs, Akaroa, Halswell, and Rangiora, and Dunedin has Peninsula, Waikouaiti, and Taieri. Apart from Kaikoura these are the only counties east of the main divide in the. South Island where dairy farming predominates. On the west side of the main divide, however, there is only one county in eight where dairy farming does not predominate. The exception is Waimea, where the main farming area lies within a horseshoe of mountains and hills and is devoted mainly to horticultural pursuits. All the west coast dairy counties lie in the high-rainfall belt of the South Island,where the average rainfall for the year is generally 70in. and over. In next month’s “Journal” details of the sheep farming group will be presented.

* Dairy farming predominates.

PER REGION COUNTY CENT ♦Hokianga . 76.5 ♦Whangaroa .. 70.9 ♦Mangonui .. 69.9 *Whangarei .. 69.7 *Otamatea .. 68.1 Northland ♦Rodney _ .. .. 66.8 ♦Hobson .. . 64.8 ♦Bay of Islands . 52.2 ♦Waitemata . 41.2 Eden .. . 12.9 ♦Franklin . 79.1 South ♦Raglan .. . 55.1 Auckland ♦Manukau .. 49.4 ♦Piako . 87.0 Waikato ♦Hauraki Plains . 84.5 and ♦Waikato . 79.5 Haurakl ♦Matamata . 77.1 Lowlands ♦Waipa .. . 76.9 ♦Otorohanga . 74.0 s ♦Ohinemuri . 75.6 Cape ♦Thames . 63.7 Colville ♦Coromandel . 53.7 ♦Great Barrier . . 50.0 ♦Whakatane . 85.4 ♦Tauranga 65.1 Central ♦Rotorua . 52.8 Plateau ♦Taupo . 45.4 ♦Clifton .. . 71.6 Waitomo . 40.8 Whangamomona . 32.4 Western Taumarunui .• 32.2 Uplands Kawhia .. . 31.5 Kaitieke .. ■ . 30.0 Ohura ... . 27.7 Waimarino . 20.9 ♦Waimate West . . 92.0 ♦Egmont .. . 86.6 ♦Inglewood . 84.4 Taranaki ♦Eltham' .. . 80.5 ♦Taranaki .. 79.6 ♦Stratford . 77.0 ♦Hawera .. . 69.6 ♦Opotiki .. . 76.0 Uawa' ... . 35.5 Matakaoa . 35.4 East Cape Waiapu .. . 27.6 Cook . 25.3 Waikohu . 23.3 Wairoa . 26.8 Waipawa 18.6 Hawkes Bay . 15.8 Hawkes Bay Patangata . 8.9 Waipukurau . 3.4 ♦Patea . 48.1 ♦Waitotara 43.9 Pohangina . 35.7 Rangitikei* Wanganui . 33.9 Kiwitea 31.6. Rangitikei 25.5 ♦Manawatu ■ 65.4 ♦Kairanga 65.1 ♦Woodville 64.7 Manawatu ♦Horowhenua 57.7 ♦Pahiatua 53.2 ♦Oroua 48.3 ♦Dannevirke 45.8 * Dairy farming predominates.

Percentage range North Island South Island New Zealand Over 90 .. 1 — i 1 '• 80 and under 90 . 6 — 6 70 and under 80 . . 12 — 12 60 and under 70 . . II 1 12 50 and under 60 . . 9 2 1 1 40 and under 50 . ? It 4 15 30 and under 40 . . 10 7 17. 20 and under 30 . . 8 9 17 10 and under 20 . 4 12 16 Under 10 .. 4 17 21 —— — Totals • 76 52 128

REGION COUNTY PER CENT Castlepoint .. . 14.6 Castlepoint COUNTY Castlepoint .. Akitio 5.8 Weber PER CENT. . 14.6 5.8 . 0.0 ♦Eketahuna . 58.0 *Wairarapa South . 55.4 Wairarapa *Mauriceville . 47.7 Masterton . 22.5 ♦Featherston . 44.8 Featherston - ♦Hutt . 40.7 ♦Makara . 31.7 ♦Takaka . . 65.7 ♦Murchison . 53.9 ♦Buller . 53.5 Nelson ♦Collingwood . 49.2 *Inangahua . 34.3 Waimea .. . 14.1 ♦Kaikoura . 43.2 Marlborough . 22.3 Marlborough Awatere . .. . 6.1 Sounds .. . . 3.0 ♦Westland . 40.7 Westland ♦Grey .. . 31.3 Cheviot . 7.9 North Waipara . 3.7 Canterbury Amuri .. . 1.9 Oxford . 16.6 Tawera . 12.8 Foothills Selwyn . .. . 5.6 Ashley . 5.2 ♦Springs .. . 46.8 ♦Rangiora . 29.5 Ellesmere . 29.0 Canterbury Eyre .. . 26.9 Plains Kowal . 25.9 Paparua . 15.2 Malvern . 3.5 ♦Halswell .. . 31.3 Christchurch Waimairi . 15.0 Heathcote . 11.2 ♦Akaroa . 39.8 Banks Wairewa ... . 30.2 Peninsula Mt. Herbert . 10.9 Mackenzie Mackenzie . 3.4 Geraldine . 25.7 . Levels . 14.9 South Waitaki . 14.2 Canterbury Ashburton . 9.2 Waimate 9.0 ♦Peninsula . 39.8 ♦Waikouaiti . 36.5 Otago ♦Taieri . 29.4 Waihemo . 13.4 Tuapeka 7.6 Lake .. 9.9 Central ' Vincent .. 6.1 Otago Maniatoto . 4.5 Southland .. . 27.6 Wallace .; . 21.3 Southern Clutha . 18.9 Bruce . 14.3 Stewart and Chatham Islands 2.1 Chatham Islands Stewart Island 1.0