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Story: Te ohanga onamata a rohe – economic regions

West Coast food

Kehu acted as a guide for Thomas Brunner and other Europeans on the West Coast of the South Island in the mid-1800s. Here he is snaring a weka using a tari (a slip noose on a rod) with a decoy behind it. He managed to provide food for Brunner’s party by catching birds – few other foods were readily found.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: B-113-008

by William Fox

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

Basil Keane, Te ohanga onamata a rohe – economic regions – Te Wāhi Pounamu – hunting and gathering, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/23611/west-coast-food (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 4 March 2010.