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Story: Te ohanga onamata a rohe – economic regions

Agricultural modifications

  • Borrow pits

    Borrow pits
  • Modified soils

    Modified soils
  • Stone structures

    Stone structures
  • Slope trenches

    Slope trenches
  • Wetland ditches

    Wetland ditches

This map shows evidence for the distribution of key features of Māori agriculture: modified soils, borrow pits, stone formations (rows, mounds, heaps and alignments), and slope and wetland trenches. All the modifications are found within the Iwitini or Waenganui regions. Māori modified soils for improved warmth and drainage by adding gravel or sand – borrow pits are the hollows from which the gravel was taken. Stone formations are found where the land was cleared of stones for gardening, or where stones were lined up to mark garden boundaries. Crops may have been grown in some of the rows.

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How to cite this page

Basil Keane, Te ohanga onamata a rohe – economic regions – Iwitini – most populous region, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/23600/agricultural-modifications (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 4 March 2010.