Traditional
Maori fishing operations were very well organised. Different tribes had their
own fishing areas. Tribal boundaries were marked by landmarks and stakes and
protected against trespassers. Fishing was often a community activity. Tasks
involved everything from observing the movement of schools of fish and making
gear, to catching and processing the fish.

Early Maori
knew a great deal about the life cycles of different fish. A fishing calendar
was developed to work out when certain fish should be caught, what techniques to
use, and whether it should be during the day or night.

Kaimoana was
a very important trading item. Coastal tribes traded it with inland iwi for
goods such as birds, berries or workable stone. In Canterbury, Kaipoihai pa was
a trading pa with eight different gates. It was similar to European trading
sites in the middle ages.

cold and harsh in comparison to tropical island Polynesia. Great ingenuity
was required to grow the tropical plants they had brought with them from
Polynesia, including taro, kumara, gourds, and yams; this was
especially difficult in the chillier southern parts of the country. The harakeke (flax
plant) served as a replacement for coconut fronds and hibiscus fibre in the
manufacture of mats, baskets, rope, fishing nets and clothing.

Seasonal activities included gardening, fishing and the hunting of birds.
Main tasks were separated for men and women, but there were also a lot of group
activities involving food gathering and food cultivation, and warfare. Art was
and is a prominent part of the culture as seen in the carving of houses, canoes,
weapons, and other items. The people also wore highly decorative personal
ornaments, and people of rank often had their skin marked with extensive tā moko similar to
tattooing.

New Zealand comprises two main islands (called the North and South Islands in
English, Te-Ika-a-Maui and Te Wai Pounamu in Māori) and a number
of smaller
islands, located near the center of the water hemisphere. The total land area, 268,680
square kilometres
(103,738 sq mi),
is a little less than that of Italy and Japan, and a little more than the United Kingdom. The
country extends more than 1600 kilometres (1000 miles) along its main,
north-north-east axis, with approximately 15,134 km of coastline. The most
significant of the smaller inhabited islands include Stewart
Island/Rakiura; Waiheke Island, in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf; Great Barrier
Island, east of the Hauraki Gulf; and the Chatham Islands, named Rēkohu by Moriori. The country has extensive marine
resources, with the seventh-largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world,
covering over four million square kilometres (1.5 million sq mi), more than
15 times its land area.^[5]

Although Māori culture was a totally stone-age culture until the arrival of
Europeans and the introduction of metal, it was highly evolved. The various
working materials used before the Māori had access to metal were mainly bird
bones, whale bones, ivory teeth, both dog and human bones, and also stone, from
the large stone resources which had been discovered further inland within New
Zealand.

A primary tool used in hunting was the spear, launched by a woomera or spear-thrower in some locales. Boomerangs were also used by some
mainland Indigenous peoples. The non-returnable boomerang (known more correctly
as a Throwing Stick),
more powerful than the returning kind, could be used to injure or even kill a
kangaroo.

Maori Legend – the
creation of New Zealand
A long time after the creation of the world –
after Tane mahuta had created a woman out of red earth, breathed life into her
nostrils, mated with her and had a daughter, who also became his wife and bore
him other daughters, and after many other things had happened – the demigod
Maui, who lived in Hawaiki, went out fishing with his brothers.

They went further and further out to sea. When they were a long way out, Maui
took out his magic fish-hook (the jaw of his sorcerer grandmother), tied it to a
strong rope, then dropped it over the side of the canoe. Soon he caught an
immense fish and, struggling mightily, pulled it up.

This fish became the North Island of NZ, called by the ancient Maori Te ika a
Maui (the fish of Maui) or sometimes Te ikaroa a Maui (the big fish of Maui).
The Mahia Peninsula, at the north end of Hawke Bay on the east coast of the
North Island, was known as Te matau a Maui (the fish-hook of Maui), since it was
the hook with which he caught the giant fish.

The South Island was known as Te waka a Maui, or the canoe of Maui, in which
he was sitting when he caught the fish. Kaikoura Peninsula, on the north-east
coast of the South Island, was the seat of the canoe. Another name for the South
Island was Te wai Pounamu (the water greenstone), since much greenstone (jade,
or pounamu) was found in the rivers there.

Stewart Island, south of the South Island, was known as Te punga a Maui (the
anchor of Maui). It was the anchor that held the canoe as Maui hauled in the
giant fish.

Most things contain "mana" - spiritual essence. Mana is within man himself,
land, nature, and also man-made objects. Contact with mana contained objects or
beings by non-authorised persons or objects could cause the mana to be drained
away.

In the beginning the belief was that the god Tane
offered mankind three baskets of knowledge - "Nga Kete-o-te-Wananga". Within
these baskets were the stories of creation, instructions concerning magic, etc.
The Māori believe all living things are descended from the Gods, embodied within
certain mountains, rivers and lakes. All things have a type of soul - the
wairua. This is why the Māori have strong spiritual ties to the land.

Tapu is the strongest force in Māori life. It has
numerous meanings and references. Tapu can be interpreted as "sacred", or
defined as "spiritual restriction" or "implied prohibition", containing a strong
imposition of rules and prohibitions. A person, an object or a place, which is
tapu, may not be touched by human contact. In some cases, not even approached. A
person, object or a place could be made sacred by tapu for a certain time, and
the two main types of tapu were private and public. Private tapu concerned
individuals, and public tapu concerned communities.

In earlier times, tribal members of a higher rank would not touch objects
which belonged to members of a lower rank. This was considered "pollution".
Similarly, persons of a lower rank could not touch the belongings of a highborn
person. Death was the penalty.