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Kōrero: Gardens

Kō for digging

Image
Kō for digging

The kō was the main tool Māori used for digging. The 2–3-metre-long pole was made of strong and durable wood. One end was shaped into a narrow blade, and a footrest was lashed to the shaft. Kō were used for loosening soil and shaping the ground into mounds for planting tubers.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Reference: MA_I002736

Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Maggy Wassilieff, Gardens – Māori gardens, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/object/18856/ko-for-digging (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Maggy Wassilieff, i tāngia i te 1 March 2009.