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Story: Northland region

Digging kauri gum

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Digging kauri gum

As they gradually lost their land, Māori in the north were often forced into manual work to make a living. One common occupation between 1870 and 1935 was digging for kauri gum in wetlands and swamps, where kauri forests had once stood.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Northwood Collection (PA-Group-00027)

Reference: 1/1-009777; G

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

Claudia Orange, Northland region – Māori society: 1840–1900, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/7600/digging-kauri-gum (accessed 7 June 2026).

Story by Claudia Orange, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 May 2015.