The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country / Rural Property

Small country towns hit by urban sprawl

14 Apr, 2005 11:37 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The demise of the rural village in New Zealand is typified by a fivefold increase over three years in the size of Prebbleton on the outskirts of Christchurch, Lincoln University senior lecturer Dr Shelley Egoz says.

"All over New Zealand accelerated residential development is replacing farming landscape."

Ordinary farm land
that embraces heritage values important to New Zealand society is not being protected, says the academic, who will present her findings to a heritage conference at Otago University this month.

Prebbleton is a "dramatic" example of urban sprawl and loss of community, she said.

Once the community won a 20-year fight to get rid of a mushroom-composing business, people started to sell land and between 2000 and 2003 the village's geographical dimensions spread fivefold, becoming an "everywhere landscape suburban neighbourhood".

Dr Egoz said people who had lifestyle blocks and small farming businesses got sandwiched in by development and joined the land sales.

Local people said in interviews they did not mind newcomers but felt a loss of community.

Dr Egoz said they felt Prebbleton had become high-density suburbia where they did not know their new neighbours, who sent their children to school in Christchurch.

This kind of ad-hoc, unplanned development without consultation with locals was a concern, she said.

The April 28-30 conference will also hear from Aucklander John Adam about the history of open spaces in the city, and Auckland landscape architect Bridgit Diprose will speak about the risk of city dwellers becoming disconnected from the natural environment and communities.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rural Property

Premium
The Country

Paved paradise? Top Auckland school builds staff car park on $150m gifted farmland

06 Jun 05:00 PM
Rural Property

‘Exciting for the country’: Why the rural property market is set for spring

15 May 08:30 PM
Premium
Rural Property

'Past the first hurdle' - Fletcher Living on progress at $500m The Hill

11 May 07:00 PM

Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rural Property

Premium
Paved paradise? Top Auckland school builds staff car park on $150m gifted farmland

Paved paradise? Top Auckland school builds staff car park on $150m gifted farmland

06 Jun 05:00 PM

The ASB MAGS Farm is protected by a covenant requiring it be used to teach farming.

‘Exciting for the country’: Why the rural property market is set for spring

‘Exciting for the country’: Why the rural property market is set for spring

15 May 08:30 PM
Premium
'Past the first hurdle' - Fletcher Living on progress at $500m The Hill

'Past the first hurdle' - Fletcher Living on progress at $500m The Hill

11 May 07:00 PM
Premium
Two more Hawke’s Bay farms sold to overseas buyers for forestry

Two more Hawke’s Bay farms sold to overseas buyers for forestry

04 May 06:00 PM
Clean water fuelling Pacific futures
sponsored

Clean water fuelling Pacific futures

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP