When the first Polynesian settlers arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand some 750 years ago, they found an environment very different to the lands they left behind.

Over the centuries that followed, their descendants developed new ways of obtaining food and forging communities. But there has long been uncertainty around when – and how quickly – these shifts occurred.

Archaeologists have traditionally divided early Māori history into three broad periods. The first, from around 1250 to 1400, was marked by the establishment of settlements and hunting of moa and other native wildlife.

A less understood “transitional” period followed, before the emergence of “classic” Māori society around 1600, with more intensive food production, fortified settlements and distinctive cultural traditions.

Terms such as the “Māori Middle Ages” highlight the frustrating unknowns that still cloud this picture. Our new research now offers a more precise timeline.

By combining high-precision radiocarbon dating with detailed archaeological evidence from two sites, we have found that some economic changes began earlier than previously thought.

‘Wiggle-matching’ points to a longer history

Radiocarbon dating allows archaeologists to estimate the age of ancient remains by........

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