diff --git a/wagtail/contrib/wagtailfrontendcache/utils.py b/wagtail/contrib/wagtailfrontendcache/utils.py
index 18d57afd4..8f0217bfb 100644
--- a/wagtail/contrib/wagtailfrontendcache/utils.py
+++ b/wagtail/contrib/wagtailfrontendcache/utils.py
@@ -1,15 +1,8 @@
 import logging
 
-try:
-    from importlib import import_module
-except ImportError:
-    # for Python 2.6, fall back on django.utils.importlib (deprecated as of Django 1.7)
-    from django.utils.importlib import import_module
-
-import sys
-
 from django.utils import six
 from django.conf import settings
+from django.utils.module_loading import import_string
 from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
 
 
@@ -20,30 +13,6 @@ class InvalidFrontendCacheBackendError(ImproperlyConfigured):
     pass
 
 
-# Pinched from django 1.7 source code.
-# TODO: Replace this with "from django.utils.module_loading import import_string"
-# when django 1.7 is released
-def import_string(dotted_path):
-    """
-    Import a dotted module path and return the attribute/class designated by the
-    last name in the path. Raise ImportError if the import failed.
-    """
-    try:
-        module_path, class_name = dotted_path.rsplit('.', 1)
-    except ValueError:
-        msg = "%s doesn't look like a module path" % dotted_path
-        six.reraise(ImportError, ImportError(msg), sys.exc_info()[2])
-
-    module = import_module(module_path)
-
-    try:
-        return getattr(module, class_name)
-    except AttributeError:
-        msg = 'Module "%s" does not define a "%s" attribute/class' % (
-            dotted_path, class_name)
-        six.reraise(ImportError, ImportError(msg), sys.exc_info()[2])
-
-
 def get_backends(backend_settings=None, backends=None):
     # Get backend settings from WAGTAILFRONTENDCACHE setting
     if backend_settings is None:
diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailembeds/embeds.py b/wagtail/wagtailembeds/embeds.py
index b78027e67..c41611d70 100644
--- a/wagtail/wagtailembeds/embeds.py
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailembeds/embeds.py
@@ -1,14 +1,6 @@
-import sys
 from datetime import datetime
 import json
 
-try:
-    from importlib import import_module
-except ImportError:
-    # for Python 2.6, fall back on django.utils.importlib (deprecated as of Django 1.7)
-    from django.utils.importlib import import_module
-
-
 # Needs to be imported like this to allow @patch to work in tests
 from six.moves.urllib import request as urllib_request
 
@@ -16,6 +8,7 @@ from six.moves.urllib.request import Request
 from six.moves.urllib.error import URLError
 from six.moves.urllib.parse import urlencode
 
+from django.utils.module_loading import import_string
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.utils import six
 
@@ -23,35 +16,11 @@ from wagtail.wagtailembeds.oembed_providers import get_oembed_provider
 from wagtail.wagtailembeds.models import Embed
 
 
-
 class EmbedNotFoundException(Exception): pass
 class EmbedlyException(Exception): pass
 class AccessDeniedEmbedlyException(EmbedlyException): pass
 
 
-# Pinched from django 1.7 source code.
-# TODO: Replace this with "from django.utils.module_loading import import_string" when django 1.7 is released
-def import_string(dotted_path):
-    """
-    Import a dotted module path and return the attribute/class designated by the
-    last name in the path. Raise ImportError if the import failed.
-    """
-    try:
-        module_path, class_name = dotted_path.rsplit('.', 1)
-    except ValueError:
-        msg = "%s doesn't look like a module path" % dotted_path
-        six.reraise(ImportError, ImportError(msg), sys.exc_info()[2])
-
-    module = import_module(module_path)
-
-    try:
-        return getattr(module, class_name)
-    except AttributeError:
-        msg = 'Module "%s" does not define a "%s" attribute/class' % (
-            dotted_path, class_name)
-        six.reraise(ImportError, ImportError(msg), sys.exc_info()[2])
-
-
 def embedly(url, max_width=None, key=None):
     from embedly import Embedly
 
diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailimages/backends/__init__.py b/wagtail/wagtailimages/backends/__init__.py
index e60b89688..c13504006 100644
--- a/wagtail/wagtailimages/backends/__init__.py
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailimages/backends/__init__.py
@@ -2,46 +2,15 @@
 # Based on the Django cache framework and wagtailsearch
 # https://github.com/django/django/blob/5d263dee304fdaf95e18d2f0619d6925984a7f02/django/core/cache/__init__.py
 
-try:
-    from importlib import import_module
-except ImportError:
-    # for Python 2.6, fall back on django.utils.importlib (deprecated as of Django 1.7)
-    from django.utils.importlib import import_module
 
-import sys
-
-from django.utils import six
-from django.conf import settings
+from django.utils.module_loading import import_string
 from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
+from django.conf import settings
 
 
 class InvalidImageBackendError(ImproperlyConfigured):
     pass
 
-# Pinched from django 1.7 source code.
-# TODO: Replace this with "from django.utils.module_loading import import_string"
-# when django 1.7 is released
-# TODO: This is not DRY - should be imported from a utils module
-def import_string(dotted_path):
-    """
-    Import a dotted module path and return the attribute/class designated by the
-    last name in the path. Raise ImportError if the import failed.
-    """
-    try:
-        module_path, class_name = dotted_path.rsplit('.', 1)
-    except ValueError:
-        msg = "%s doesn't look like a module path" % dotted_path
-        six.reraise(ImportError, ImportError(msg), sys.exc_info()[2])
-
-    module = import_module(module_path)
-
-    try:
-        return getattr(module, class_name)
-    except AttributeError:
-        msg = 'Module "%s" does not define a "%s" attribute/class' % (
-            dotted_path, class_name)
-        six.reraise(ImportError, ImportError(msg), sys.exc_info()[2])
-
 
 def get_image_backend(backend='default', **kwargs):
     # Get configuration
diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailsearch/backends/__init__.py b/wagtail/wagtailsearch/backends/__init__.py
index a06f7a4f8..fa6fcf017 100644
--- a/wagtail/wagtailsearch/backends/__init__.py
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailsearch/backends/__init__.py
@@ -2,47 +2,16 @@
 # Based on the Django cache framework
 # https://github.com/django/django/blob/5d263dee304fdaf95e18d2f0619d6925984a7f02/django/core/cache/__init__.py
 
-try:
-    from importlib import import_module
-except ImportError:
-    # for Python 2.6, fall back on django.utils.importlib (deprecated as of Django 1.7)
-    from django.utils.importlib import import_module
 
-import sys
-
-from django.utils import six
-from django.conf import settings
+from django.utils.module_loading import import_string
 from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
+from django.conf import settings
 
 
 class InvalidSearchBackendError(ImproperlyConfigured):
     pass
 
 
-# Pinched from django 1.7 source code.
-# TODO: Replace this with "from django.utils.module_loading import import_string"
-# when django 1.7 is released
-def import_string(dotted_path):
-    """
-    Import a dotted module path and return the attribute/class designated by the
-    last name in the path. Raise ImportError if the import failed.
-    """
-    try:
-        module_path, class_name = dotted_path.rsplit('.', 1)
-    except ValueError:
-        msg = "%s doesn't look like a module path" % dotted_path
-        six.reraise(ImportError, ImportError(msg), sys.exc_info()[2])
-
-    module = import_module(module_path)
-
-    try:
-        return getattr(module, class_name)
-    except AttributeError:
-        msg = 'Module "%s" does not define a "%s" attribute/class' % (
-            dotted_path, class_name)
-        six.reraise(ImportError, ImportError(msg), sys.exc_info()[2])
-
-
 def get_search_backend(backend='default', **kwargs):
     # Get configuration
     default_conf = {