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Story: Te ngahere – forest lore

Pūhā

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Pūhā

Pūhā is best known for being used in boil-ups, particularly with pork bones. Traditionally, one of its uses was chewing gum. The plant was cut to allow the juice to run out. The juice hardened, was rolled up, then chewed.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Emily Tutaki

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How to cite this page

Rāwiri Taonui, Te ngahere – forest lore – The great trees, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/14072/puha (accessed 7 June 2026).

Story by Rāwiri Taonui, published 2 March 2009.