A 18-year trial at Lake Tekapo compared changes in proportions of species in a common mixed species pasture under two mean grazing intensities, three seasons of grazing and spelled in alternate years or unspelled. The main species changes related to season of grazing, with the effect of biennial spelling being small and ambiguous, and that of mean grazing intensities slight. Keywords: New Zealand, high country, spelling, pasture development, perennial lupin, cocksfoot