Stock water races in Ashburton county : their contribution to its development

Abstract

By New Zealand standards, the contemporary landscape of that part of the Canterbury Plains lying within the Ashburton County is comparatively mature. This area, bounded by the Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers, the Pacific Ocean, and the foothills of the Southern Alps, has for over three-quarters of a century been an important contributor to New Zealand's agricultural production, and the rural landscape reflects this long-standing importance.