Preface
The Department of Agriculture was formed in 1892 by the amalgamation of the stock and agricultural branches of the Department of Crown Lands. The creation of a specific department to co-ordinate all government activities associated with farming was motivated by the need to raise quality standards for export, the rising threats from pests and diseases and the need to improve farmer practices. In the early 1900s there was considerable debate on how best to influence farmer practices and guide them toward improved farm management and incomes. The Fields Division was formed in 1923 and out of this small beginning advisory services were developed and refined, culminating in the formation of the Advisory Services Division in 1972. The Advisory Services division was amalgamated with the Research Division in 1987 and then split off as a separate crown owned enterprise in 1990 and finally sold to private enterprise in 1995.
The current extension situation in New Zealand is therefore one where advisory services are offered to farmers on a fee paying basis by Agriculture New Zealand (a branch of Wrightsons, a stock and station agency), by marketing boards on a product by product basis, and by individual agents who contract out their services. The interface between the extension movement and government is maintained by the Rural Policy Section of MAF Policy. Information services are bought from Agriculture New Zealand by MAF Policy on a contractual basis; crown research institutes manage their own technology transfer programmes, and the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology also sponsors co-ordinated technology programmes.
The history of advisory services in New Zealand is worth telling. It has been a very successful movement in the use of public resources for the common good. The rates of return on government expenditure have been tremendous. The following papers are essential reading on the topic.
This Technical Paper tells some of the past history of the extension movement in New Zealand. The first part is concerned with the formation of the old Fields Division and all the difficulties that surrounded that decision by the then management of the Department. This paper was first prepared for the official history of the department by the author. The second part is concerned with the more recent past and describes the transformation of the Fields Division to the Advisory Services Division, and the subsequent changes until privatisation of extension services in the 1990s. The argument for public provision for public good services is examined and the present effectiveness of the extension movement is discussed. This paper was prepared for publication in the Review of Agricultural Economics and Marketing, but this journal ceased publication before it was finished. The papers have been edited by Dr Robin Johnson.
A B Walker
Director, Rural Policy
Contact for Enquiries
Rural Affairs Coordinator
Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0675
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0745
Contact this person
