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What are the drivers of rural land fragmentation in the Tasman district and what have been the planning responses? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Resource and Environmental Planning, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Rural
land
use
in
the
Tasman
District
of
New
Zealand
is
characterised
by
fragmentation
of
farming
land,
driven
by
a
mix
of
historical
land
use
patterns,
global
influences,
and
political
decision-‐making.
Colonial
farmers
developed
subsistence
farming
on
small
allotments
of
mixed
productivity.
Pockets
of
highly
fertile
land
supported
the
development
of
small-‐scale
horticultural
industries
and
the
region’s
good
climate
and
high
amenity
value
have
made
it
a
desirable
destination
for
urban-‐employed
migrants
seeking
lifestyle
opportunities.
The
fragmentation
of
rural
land
occurs
via
subdivision,
a
process
that
is
administered
by
the
local
district
council,
regulated
by
a
district
plan
framework
and
land-‐use
consent
mechanisms.
Analysis
of
Tasman
District
plans
and
policy,
case
law,
and
subdivision
data,
reveals
a
regulatory
process
that
is
failing
to
limit
ongoing
land
fragmentation
with
increasing
numbers
of
subdivision
applications
and
new
allotments
and
dwellings
developed
on
the
most
productive
land.
