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Story: Drugs

Kava being prepared in Fiji, 1900

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Kava being prepared in Fiji, 1900

Kava, or yaqona, as it is known in Fiji, is a drink made from crushed roots of the kava plant. It is widely used in Polynesia and Melanesia but was not brought to New Zealand by the ancestors of the Māori. Kava is a mild sedative which relaxes users, especially in social situations. Some Pacific Island people continue to consume kava in New Zealand.

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Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira

Reference: B475

by W. Beattie

Permission of the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Jock Phillips, Drugs – Colonial drug-taking, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/39555/kava-being-prepared-in-fiji-1900 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Jock Phillips, published 3 December 2012.