How individuals perceive their environment determines how they relate to and interact with it. This research takes a specific landscape, the South Island high country, and identifies and evaluates how it is perceived. It is evident that the way in which individuals perceive landscape reflects not only their physical environment, but their culture. Culture gains even greater importance in this process, when one considers the perceptions of community and society.
Landscape perception concerns how individuals view and interact with their environment. It is the initial step in developing opinions and positions on issues relating to a specific area. Experience of, and participation are identified as crucial components of the perception process. Those who indicated they were actively involved in the high country were more likely to have richer and more acute perceptions of the area than those who were not so involved. The latter group tended to reflect the imagery of the media and other sources.
Current perceptions of the high country were obtained in a number of ways: chiefly, a comprehensive questionnaire survey (individuals chosen at random from the electoral rolls of New Zealand's seven southern constituencies), and a dozen in-depth interviews. Secondary sources were also used to gain information on perception and landscape theory, as well as historical European and Maori images of the area.
The perceptions of the high country were found to be oriented around images of pastoral farming, wilderness experience, recreation and tourism activity. The location of the high country, as perceived by respondents, centred on the lakes district of inland Otago and South Canterbury. Where survey respondents resided was clearly of influence on their perceived high country.
While the perceived high country reflected much of the historical imagery, it also reflected socioeconomic change in the area. The move from pastoralism to recreation and tourism was apparent, as was resistance by the public to alienation of high country land through sale of Crown land to overseas interests and its use in Treaty settlements. There was general acceptance, especially amongst experts, that change in the area (lease reorganisation and economic activity in particular) will have an important impact on landuse and how the public perceives the high country.
The future of the high country is seen by lay-person and expert alike as lying with the expansion of tourism and recreation. This will see more people visiting and living in the area. All interviewees agreed that pastoral farming will play a decreasing role in the area and that a greater diversity of landuse and, in turn, perceptions of the high country will result from these shifts.
