Application of the term “pakihi” in New Zealand— A review

Abstract

The term “pakihi” is widely but loosely applied to landforms, vegetation types and soils, mainly on the West Coast of the South Island. Pakihi land is generally flat, carries a sedge/fern/restiad/rush/moss (with some manuka) vegetation community, occurs under a mean annual rainfall usually > 2200 mm, and is underlain by a variety of wet, infertile soils. Pakihi land extends from Golden Bay in north-west South Island to near Awarua Bay in Fiordland, a distance of 540 km. Twenty-two soil series or sets have been identified. They are grouped into four classes on the basis of different physical properties, and include gleyed yellow-brown earths, gley soils, gley podzols, podzols and organic soils. Various hypotheses to explain the distribution of both natural and induced pakihi vegetation are critically examined. Interactions of environmental and human factors are discussed, together with the vegetation effect on soil formation. It is postulated that local changes in amounts of water at, or very close to, the ground surface could account for apparently opposing theories of forest colonisation of, and regression from, areas of natural pakihi vegetation.