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Story: Te ohanga onamata a rohe – economic regions

Te Wāhi Pounamu

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Te Wāhi Pounamu

Te Wāhi Pounamu region had around 5% of the Māori population when Europeans arrived. Horticulture was all but impossible in this region, which explains why so few people lived there. Those who did relied on a hunter-gatherer economy.

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Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: Janet Davidson, The prehistory of New Zealand. Auckland: Longman Paul, 1987, p. 34

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How to cite this page

Basil Keane, Te ohanga onamata a rohe – economic regions – Te Wāhi Pounamu – hunting and gathering, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/map/23609/te-wahi-pounamu (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 4 March 2010.