The Māori diet was previously thought to be a diverse mix of abundant seafood, birds, root crops, native berries and wild greens.
But ground-breaking new research led by the University of Otago, in partnership with Waikato hapū and iwi — Ngāti Maahanga, Ngāti Wairere, Ngāti Koroki Kahukura and Ngāti Hauā — has provided the first direct scientific evidence some Māori had predominantly plant-based diets before Europeans arrived.
Lead author BioArch South director and University of Otago Coastal People: Southern Skies Centre of Research Excellence affiliate Dr Rebecca Kinaston said it was one of only a small number of studies in New Zealand to use scientific analysis of kōiwi tangata (human remains) to investigate diet, childhood life histories and chromosomal sex.
Dr Kinaston said the remains were discovered during archaeological investigations associated with the construction of the Waikato Expressway, near Hamilton.
She said the research highlighted the central role of horticulture — particularly of kūmara and taro — in Māori society prior to European arrival.
Researchers used advanced isotope and enamel peptide analysis of seven tūpuna (ancestors), including four children.
Visual analysis of their teeth indicated diets rich in soft, starchy and sticky foods, consistent with cultivated crops, such as kūmara and taro, she said.
The isotope results showed the children were likely weaned on to these plant foods within their first two to three years of life.
"These findings provide direct biological evidence that supports Māori oral histories, ethno-historical accounts and archaeological research.
"They show that plant foods were a central component of the diet for some individuals, including children, in this region," she said.
The study also provides rare insight into Māori burial practices prior to the widespread influence of Christianity.
The kōiwi tangata were recovered from a borrow pit, formed by the extraction of gravel used to improve soils for kūmara cultivation.
Dr Kinaston said the tūpuna were interred as a secondary burial — a practice that was common during later periods and may relate to protecting ancestors during times of conflict, or to specific ritual practices associated with tapu.
The insights have helped researchers understand how tūpuna were cared for and ritually treated, before major cultural changes, brought by colonisation.
