When did Polynesians settle in New Zealand?

When did Polynesians settle in New Zealand?

Signs of settlement There is a lot of evidence that Polynesian people first arrived in New Zealand around 1250–1300 CE, coming from East Polynesia in canoes.

Why did Polynesian migration to New Zealand 1970s?

Immigration and aid After the Second World War, close links, job opportunities and population pressure on some islands led many Pacific people to migrate to New Zealand. During the 1970s the government clamped down on people overstaying their visas, particularly targeting Pacific Islanders.

Did Polynesians settle in New Zealand?

According to Takitumu tradition, the first Polynesians to settle in New Zealand were the crew of a single vessel that, under the command of a chief named Toi, reached these shores from eastern Polynesia. This Toi was a native of Tahiti, in the Society Group.

What decade did mass Polynesian immigration to New Zealand begin?

Migration to New Zealand began with Polynesian settlement in New Zealand, then uninhabited, about 1250 to 1280. European migration provided a major influx following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.

Where did the Polynesians migrate from?

Polynesians likely originated from the Lapita people, who originated in Melanesia, the region north of Australia that includes the modern countries of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and New Caledonia.

Where did the Polynesians land in New Zealand?

Polynesian Settlement of New Zealand According to Maori, the first Polynesian explorer to reach New Zealand was Kupe, who traveled across the Pacific in a Polynesian-style voyaging canoe. It is thought Kupe reached New Zealand at Hokianga Harbour, in Northland, about 1070 years ago.

Why were Pacific Islanders invited to NZ in the 1960s?

Many Pacific Islanders came to New Zealand with the aspiration to work and dreams of a better life for themselves and their children. Due to New Zealand’s high demand for labour during the 1960s, the Labour government encouraged the migration along side the employers for as long as the excess labour demand continued.

How did the early immigrants come to New Zealand in 1840?

Approximately 1,000 English settlers arrived in the first wave of the New Zealand Company settlement of Wellington. Of the 18,000 settlers who came directly from Britain between 1840 and 1852, about 14,000 arrived through the Company or its successors.

What did Polynesians bring to New Zealand?

Reaching New Zealand The original migrants came from a region in East Polynesia which Māori later called Hawaiki. Bringing dogs and rats, taro and kūmara (sweet potato) to New Zealand, they found plenty of wildlife, including birds now extinct: the moa, a species of swan, and the giant Haast’s eagle.

How did Polynesians migrate to New Zealand?

The first people to reach New Zealand were Polynesians who set out from the central Pacific on deliberate voyages of discovery in large canoes. They reached New Zealand, in the south-west corner of the Pacific, between 1200 and 1300 AD.

Why did the Polynesians migrate to New Zealand?

Why did the Polynesians migrate to New Zealand? Around 950 AD, it is believed Polynesian settlers used subtropical weather systems, star constellations, water currents, and animal migration to find their way from their native islands, in central Polynesia to New Zealand.

When did the first people arrive in New Zealand?

The first people to arrive in New Zealand were ancestors of the Māori. The first settlers probably arrived from Polynesia between 1200 and 1300 AD. They discovered New Zealand as they explored the Pacific, navigating by the ocean currents, winds and stars. Is New Zealand considered Polynesian?

When did the Maori come to New Zealand?

Sometime between 1300 and 1550, Māori from New Zealand settled on the Chatham Islands (Rēkohu), more than 750 km south-east of the mainland. For around 400 years their descendants lived on the Chatham Islands without contact with other peoples and the unique Moriori culture developed. See Te Ara for more on Rēkohuand the Moriori.

Why did people migrate to the Pacific Islands?

However, there is evidence of trade and contact among disparate Pacific Island societies, and it is possible that Polynesians may have come in contact with those to both their east and west. While motives for prehistoric migration cannot be known, a number of possibilities present themselves for speculation.