Māori technology and tools
Where can I find information about Māori technology and tools?
(Years 5-8)
Image: Māori carving, weapons and tools by [unknown]. Collection: Hocken Digital Collections. Ref: P1910-008-022e.
Entry last updated: 29/08/25
Introduction
The ancestors of Māori arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand, around 1250-1300 AD. They used the materials found around them to make weapons and tools to help them adapt and survive in a new environment. They made traps, fishing nets, baskets, canoes, hooks, and spears from natural materials like wood, bone, flax, and stone. These tools helped them to hunt, fish, and grow and gather food.
Facts and pictures
These sites have information and pictures on the materials that Māori used to create tools and weapons, including the technology they used to build items like waka (canoes) and whare (houses).
Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Te Ara is an excellent starting point for all questions about Aotearoa New Zealand. At the bottom of the page, we can see it belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so the information is well-researched and reliable.
Begin your search with the keywords 'Māori tools'.
Select the link Stone tools to read about the adzes (toki), chisels (whao) and drills that early Māori made from materials such as sandstone, adzite and obsidian.
The page on Ornaments and weapons talks about the use of pounamu (greenstone).
Or choose Tools and storage pits for a list of Māori gardening tools.
Try using different search words such as 'Māori hunting tools', 'Māori fishing tools' and 'Māori carving tools' to find more information.
Tips: Search words, or keywords, are the most important words in our question. You can leave out small words like ‘the’ and ‘of’ and just choose the main ones, eg Māori tools. We can always change our keywords or add more if we need to.
Te Papa Tongarewa | Museum of New Zealand
Te Papa is Aotearoa New Zealand's National Museum. It has a collection of images, posters, objects and videos on Māori tools and weapons.
Use the link Discover the collections to find Read, watch, play.
Go down the page to find Taonga Māori.
Explore the links Māori musical instruments, Traditional Māori food gathering and Māori weaving.
These pages have information on tools and technology related to music, food gathering and weaving.
Tips: Many web pages have links to further information or to other recommended sites. Following these links is a great way to find out more.
Tuia Mātauranga explores the history of Aotearoa New Zealand from early navigators and settlements. This resource from the National Library is in te reo Māori and English.
Take a look at Ngā nohonga me ngā porihanga Māori | Māori settlement and society.
There are images and information on pounamu, tools for digging and the use of flax.
Tips: We like sites like this because they’re reliable. You can tell because they have .govt in the website address, meaning they are from government organisations. They’re also New Zealand sites, so relevant for us.
Articles and videos
Here are more sites, some with articles and videos that explore Māori technology, including measurement systems and kite making.
Hōpara kaupapa | Topic Explorer
Topic Explorer is from the National Library of New Zealand. Each topic has carefully chosen resources, including websites, images, videos, books and more.
Under Explore topics by year level, choose Years 4-6.
Select Māori resources and trade pre-1900 to find lots of examples of early Māori tools and technology, like A traditional Māori eel trap and Pātaka for storing food and valuables.
Watch the video Mōkihi — Ngāi Tahu Mahinga Kai to learn how Māori made and used mōkihi (traditional watercraft) as a means of transport.
This website is great for science topics for New Zealand students, including topics with a te ao Māori perspective. It's put together by the University of Waikato and Curious Minds (NZ).
Use the search words 'Māori technology' to find the article on Eārly Māori measurement.
This page explains the measurement system used by early Māori for carving, weaving, and constructing houses and waka.
Try the words 'māori tools' to find the article Preserving harakeke taonga.
Read about the use of harakeke (flax) for making traps for fishing and weaving of whāriki (mats) and kete (baskets).
Tips: Websites that have .org or .net in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the organisation’s mission and values are.
Tales from Te Papa, from Te Papa Tongarewa | Museum of New Zealand, is a series of mini-documentaries about objects held in the museum's collections.
From the content in the column on the left, select Tales from Te Papa; Māori collections episodes.
Watch the video Te Papa episode 115: Keeping Kites Flying and hear about the history and making of traditional kites.
Then watch Tales from Te Papa Episode 16: Poi Awe about the construction of this special poi awe.
Books
Visit your school library or public library to find books on Māori tools and technology. Here are some titles to get you started:
Te mahi kete: Māori flaxwork for beginners by Mick Pendergrast
Māori art for kids by Julie Noanoa
Introducing Māori culture by Don Stafford
The talking stick by Dot Meharry
Pounamu: Maori jade of New Zealand by Roger Neich
The standing strong house = Te whare tū māia by Reina Kahukiwa
Topics covered
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