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Story: Te hī ika – Māori fishing

Fishing nets and traps

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Fishing nets and traps

Māori used a number of nets and pots to catch fish and eels. On the tree is a tāruke kōura – a pot for catching crayfish. On the ground in front of it are a hīnaki (eel trap) and a tītoko ika (hand net). In the background is a kupenga (fishing net).

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/4-012590; F

by James Macdonald

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

Paul Meredith, Te hī ika – Māori fishing – Tools, grounds and methods, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/6801/fishing-nets-and-traps (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Paul Meredith, published 2 March 2009.