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Story: Te rāngai mahi – Māori in the workforce

Flax mill, Whakakī

Flax mill, Whakakī

Horses stand ready to pull sledges of flax at the flax mill in Whakakī, Hawke's Bay, in 1889. From around 1820 through to the early 1900s Māori were involved in the flax industry. Over this period it changed from an industry controlled by iwi to one where Māori worked on contract as labourers.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, E. R. Williams Collection

Reference: PAColl-7785-01

by William Williams

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

Basil Keane, Te rāngai mahi – Māori in the workforce – European contact, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/25513/flax-mill-whakaki (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 4 March 2010.

Comments

Charlie Gordon
24 April 2025
Watene Huka /Hook hands in pocket in front of 2women, He ran it, his horses an carts, the flax went to Waikokapu to the ships. he also had Cobb an Co', stop overs for Napier Gisborne Coaches, an Horse teams, he bought a Ford model A, in Aukland, ran drunk falla over up there, unfortunately, an shipped it back to Wairoa, it was in the Whakaki River , used to play on it in the 60s when swimming, he was Wealthy, the 2women in the picture, one is his youngest sister her name is Hera, (nee Smith)the other his wife Repaora.