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Story: Māori foods – kai Māori

Karaka groves

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Māori are thought to have carefully selected heavy-cropping karaka trees and planted groves at chosen sites throughout New Zealand. Surviving trees from ngā uru karaka (karaka groves) have been found from Northland to Otago as well as on the Kermadec and Chatham Islands. In this 1987 clip from Natural world of the Māori. Ngāi Tahu kaumātua Tipene O'Regan gathers the berries for their kernels, which are poisonous unless carefully prepared.

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How to cite this page

Charles Royal and Jenny Kaka-Scott, Māori foods – kai Māori – Traditional foods, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/40259/karaka-groves (accessed 26 June 2026).

Story by Charles Royal and Jenny Kaka-Scott, published 3 December 2012.