The Teviot soldiers settlement : an evaluation

Abstract

One of the main attractions which brought early settlers to New Zealand was the perceived opportunity to acquire land. To own land, especially a farm, continued to be th aspiration and expectation of many twentieth century immigrants, and those later born in New Zealand. Nearly every witness to the 1905 Land Commission made it clear that he or his father had come to New Zealand in order to secure a piece of land and become his own master.

This attitude towards land was also evident in political realms, where issues concerning the use and distribution of land frequently appeared.

The acquisition of land by colonists and the promotion of rural settlement had been pursued in New Zealand since its colonisation by Europeans. First, only individuals and companies were involved in assisting settlers, then later the government also became involved.

The acceptance of government intervention in land allocation was firmly established by the Liberal Government in the 1890s and from this time land settlement continued to be an area in which the government was actively involved. Since the 1950s there has been less need for substantial land promotion and the government’s role in this area has diminished.

One of the schemes adopted by the government during its years of involvement with land settlement was that of assisting soldiers to acquire farms after the First World War. The soldier settlement scheme attracted a great deal of attention at the time of its inauguration in 1915. It was one means by which thousands of New Zealanders were enabled to become farmers.

The soldiers settlement scheme has, however, tended to be passed over by both historians and geographers. There is a lack of research into the inter-war period of New Zealand with greater attention being paid to the early period of development. Land settlement after 1915 has similarly been neglected.

There is a need to study the later land settlement schemes in order to assess their important in the development of New Zealand. Duncan (1962, 190) indicates the need for more detailed study of topics such as the private subdivision of large estates by the government and the subsequent course of events on these holdings; while Brooking (1982) suggests a need for more of the social consequences of subdivision to be documented. By focussing on soldiers settlement, this study will fill in some of the gaps which exist in the knowledge of land settlement. A method of assessing the success of one land settlement scheme is presented through a survey of the Teviot Soldier Settlement from its inception in 1918 until 1940, two decades after its settlement.