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Story: Overseas trade policy

Hunting sperm whales

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Hunting sperm whales

Whalers were attracted to New Zealand by the numerous sperm whales to the north and east of North Cape. This engraving by Joel Samuel Polack shows whaling in the area in 1838, when there were many American whalers. Whale products were exported before New Zealand was a colony or had a government.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: A-032-026

by Joel Samuel Polack

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Chris Nixon and John Yeabsley, Overseas trade policy – Early trade – 1840s to 1920s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/21969/hunting-sperm-whales (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Chris Nixon and John Yeabsley, published 12 April 2010.