Listen Now: 
September 28, 2023
Middens window into Hawke’s Bay history
Adam Gifford
Posted On September 28, 2023
0
Hawkes Bay Regional Council
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council says a cluster of six midden pits west of Napier is the largest archaeologists have encountered in the region.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council says a cluster of six midden pits west of Napier is the largest archaeologists have encountered in the region.
The middens were discovered during repairs of a 1km stretch of stopbank on Springfield Road.
It’s estimated they date to the mid-1800s and include a large number of shells and hangi stones, indicating food pits used by mana whenua from the area and/or groups transiting up and down the Tūtaekurī River.
Te Kaha Hawaikirangi from the council’s Māori partnerships team says mana whenua worked alongside Heritage New Zealand archaeologists to identify, photograph and measure what was in the middens and provide a cultural report on the sites.
