Mainstream conservation has been long dominated globally by the protected area paradigm. This approach has been widely challenged in recent years, and new conservation initiatives have emerged. The situation is mirrored in New Zealand, where ongoing biodiversity loss has prompted reappraisal. Within this context, we highlight the plight of kiwi, focusing on Northland and efforts there to (re)make space for this iconic bird which is at risk of extinction. While the state has primarily responded by fortifying ‘islands’ on public conservation land, Far North communities are working in a variety of ways and localities, both within and beyond ‘the fortress’, to secure a future for the ‘people's bird’.
Sharecropping is neglected in the analysis of land use and rural change in modern western economies. Notwithstanding the Marxist classification of sharecropping as a form of wage labor, it is conceptualized in this paper as simple commodity production, based on the unity of household and enterprise. The organization of sharecropping is examined with the use of this conceptualization, although the review incorporates economic and other perspectives. Sharemilking in New Zealand is used to evaluate this framework at two scales, on representative dairy farms of average size and on large dairy farms owned by corporations. It is found to be a mutually beneficial relationship that promotes efficient production and high output. It also facilitates intergenerational transfer, provides a rung on the dairying ladder, and contributes to the reproduction of family-based dairying in New Zealand. Sharemilking is also the preferred means for recent corporate entrants to the industry to operate their large dairy farms. Currently, sharemilking is playing a role in the penetration of agriculture by capital.
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