800 years of humans in NZ
For upwards of 800 years, humans have made New Zealand their home, modifying the landscape to suit their needs. Footprints on the Land tracks those changes — from early settlement and wars through to state building, with railways, species introductions, milling, mining and farming. We ask author Richard Wolfe some questions about the book:
What is Footprints on the Land all about?
Aotearoa New Zealand was the last habitable landmass to be settled, some 800 years ago. I set out to document the impact humans have had – and continue to have – on our landscape. In our case the biggest changes have been the loss of the original forest cover and the extinction of many species of birds.
What do you want people to take away from reading it?
I hope the book raises awareness of what has happened in the past, and suggests where we might go from here. Can we, for example, continue to cut down trees, and allow our towns and cities to sprawl, creating social and transport problems and in many cases smothering good agricultural and market gardening land with concrete and asphalt?
What is something about Aotearoa’s 800 years of human occupation that we may not know about?
Among the many things I leaned whilst researching for this book was the early awareness of the impact trees had on the local climate. A report submitted to Parliament in 1909 pointed out it was a well-known fact that there was more rain in a bush district than on an open plain. Thus, it was believed, the ruthless removal of forest tended to render the land less productive.
What is your favourite image in the book?
Early painters and photographers produced a unique and valuable record of a relatively untouched Aotearoa New Zealand, at a time when settlement from Europe was just beginning. Footprints on the Land gave me the opportunity to draw on this rich resource. The selection includes paintings by New Zealand Company artist and draughtsman Charles Heaphy of the cutting down of the seemingly inexhaustible kauri forests, to provide timber for houses for the new settlers.
In researching, was there a key environmental theme/s that stood out to you?
It’s astonishing to reflect on past attitudes towards the land, and how it was seen as simply a resource that needed to be modified to suit our “civilizing” demands. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but we might now regret some of the things we did, such as the destruction of the original forests and the introduction of certain plant and animal pests. One event reflecting changing attitudes was the publication in 1960 of J.T. Salmon’s landmark book, Heritage Destroyed: The Crisis in Scenery Preservation in New Zealand. That was followed by growing public awareness of environmental matters, in the form of protests and action groups. Fortunately, we are now much more aware of these issues, such as the value of wetlands, which have been described as “nature’s kidneys”.
What is one thing we can all start doing that will make a positive difference to where we live?
Further to the changes we have wrought on our own landscape, there’s now the impact of climate change. It’s a huge challenge, and one faced by humanity at large. New Zealand’s contribution to the problem is relatively small, but we have to do our bit. After all, there are Pacific nations which haven’t contributed to the problem but are now at risk of rising sea levels, which result from the actions of others. We obviously need to cut back on the use of fossil fuels, but perhaps also on consumption generally, in order to reduce industrial emissions and demand on the world’s diminishing resources.