Kauri is a taonga. This gallery summarises what official New Zealand sources record and points you to iwi-led organisations, who are the right people to tell these stories.
Rangatira of the forest
Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, records that tall trees traditionally held chiefly status, and that in the north kauri ranked highest of all. When a great person dies, people may say kua hinga te kauri o te wao nui a Tāne: the kauri has fallen in the sacred forest of Tāne. In a northern account of creation, some tribes say the legs of Tāne, which pushed his parents apart, were kauri trunks.
Kāpia and waka
Kauri gum, known as kāpia, was chewed, burned to start fires, and bound in flax as torches for night fishing. Soot from burnt gum, mixed with oil or fat, was used as pigment for moko. Kauri timber was used for waka.
Kaitiakitanga today
Iwi and hapū are leading guardians of kauri forests today, including in the fight against kauri dieback. In Waipoua Forest, Te Roroa are mana whenua. To learn more, visit the organisations below and follow any rāhui or guidance from mana whenua when you visit a forest.
