Books

Compiled in the late 1980’s, this two-part inventory lists significant soil sites in New Zealand. The main purpose of the inventory was to identify and describe the least-disturbed sites that represent the full range of soils in New Zealand. It also includes Stewart Island, Chatham Islands and subantarctic islands. It mainly comprises sites which have formal protection for scenic, biotic or scientific reasons.

Soils in the New Zealand Landscape: the Living Mantle - 2nd Edition, by Les Molloy, is an outstanding book on New Zealand soils and the agriculture and landscapes they underlie.

This book is superbly illustrated with colour photographs, and it is a classic work on New Zealand soils. An essential companion for all who are interested in the use, conservation and science of our soil resource.

The New Zealand Society of Soil Science published the 8-part Soil Groups of New Zealand, between 1974 and 1985.

This series describes the soils in terms of the New Zealand Genetic Classification, which grew out of the need for reconnaissance mapping of the nation’s soil resources. It was successful as a unifying factor in New Zealand Soil Science, but has subsequently been superseded by the New Zealand Soil Classification.