Heartland Strong: How rural New Zeland can change and thrive

by Margaret Brown, Bill Kaye-Blake, Penny Payne

The future of New Zealand’s rural communities is often in the news. Empty shops, depopulation and lack of jobs are offered as signs that many towns are dying. However, the strength of social ties and development of digital technologies, the innovations in rural entrepreneurship and the functioning informal economy suggest that some rural communities are in good health. There is no getting away from the challenges to the rural sector. But rural communities have shown themselves to be resilient over many years, and that is likely to continue. Most importantly, people in rural communities, in townships and on farms, have options. This important book, based on years of research, shows how, and provides useful insights into, the ongoing process of change in rural communities and the resources on which they draw to support their resilience. It offers a positive message and some blueprints for progress.

240 pages, Paperback

Published September 19, 2019

Reviews

[Miah Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of information to take in, it’s not all doom and gloom, agriculture can still have a future and compete with synthetic lab made food. I enjoyed An integrated approach to farming: Learning from matauranga Māori - connecting it all together, it was fantastic to have the translation/meaning in brackets such as mana (integrity), tapu (sacredness), mauri (life force)
The last chapter captured my full attention, looking at the next 20 years and how we can continue to farm ….. what it may look like and can we make some changes now to carry us forward successfully.

Natural Capital ❤️