Story: Te Māori i te ohanga – Māori in the economy

Māori kāinga

Māori kāinga

This is an artist's impression of a typical Māori settlement or kāinga. Fixed settlements were located close to important resources. Fishing, including eeling and whitebaiting, and collecting shellfish meant Māori settled near waterways: the sea, lakes, swamps, rivers and streams. In areas where Polynesian horticulture was viable, north-facing sloping land was sought for growing kūmara, taro and hue (bottle gourds). Around the 1500s fortified became important and were often located on high, inaccessible sites.

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Watercolour by Rozel Pharazyn

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How to cite this page:

Basil Keane, 'Te Māori i te ohanga – Māori in the economy - The Māori economy', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/25741/maori-kainga (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Basil Keane, published 11 Mar 2010