Skip to main content

Story: Inventions, patents and trademarks

Pātītī

Image
Pātītī

As European goods began to arrive in New Zealand, Māori adapted them for new purposes. This pātītī is a hatchet-type weapon made by fixing the iron head of a whaling harpoon to a carved wooden handle.

Using this item

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Reference: OL001037

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

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Mark Derby, Inventions, patents and trademarks – The ‘no. 8 wire’ tradition, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/25386/patiti (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Mark Derby, published 11 May 2010, updated 1 February 2015.