By Bill Morris: Ploughing-the epitome of the colonial 'civilising' of land-is as fundamental to this country's history as war and rugby. Perhaps it's not surprising that we make a sport out of it.

This is The Detail's Long Read - one in-depth story read by us every weekend.

This week, it's 'The straight and narrow', written by Bill Morris for New Zealand Geographic magazine's November-December issue.

Ploughing-the epitome of the colonial 'civilising' of land-is as fundamental to this country's history as war and rugby. Perhaps it's not surprising that we make a sport out of it.

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Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details