The Māori Era (1280–1769)

Abstract

New Zealand was the last substantial land mass discovered by humans. Polynesian voyagers arrived in about AD 1280, and evolved into the Māori, a unique indigenous culture. They were accompanied by the Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans, Māori name kiore) and domestic dog (in Māori, kuri)—the first four-footed mammals to encounter the rich endemic fauna of pre-human times. Genetic analyses of kiore have been instrumental in determining the history of Polynesian settlement throughout the Pacific. Human hunters assisted by fire and dogs targeted the large, meaty native birds and their eggs and chicks; kiore destroyed the fruits and seedlings of forest trees, and the smaller birds, lizards and invertebrates. The Māori settled both main and many offshore islands, unintentionally setting off a massive transformation of the New Zealand environment. Of 217 known species of native breeding birds (not all living at the same time), 145 (67%) are listed as endemic and 57 (25%) as extinct. Offshore islands provided refuges for many other forest birds, penguins and pinnipeds. The most immediate, inevitable losses rapidly removed those most vulnerable to accelerated mortality, including all nine species of moa in <160 years. Extinctions during Māori times must be understood against this biological background.