New radiocarbon dates place a Waihemo diet shift away from moa by about 1410
Researchers using high-precision radiocarbon dating at two sites say Waihemo's diet had shifted away from moa and seals by about 1410. They report that some economic change in early Māori society began earlier than previously thought.
The Scientist · Science desk
Before and after chart. Earlier estimate of Waihemo's occupation: 20 to 50 years during the 14th century, plotted at its low end of 20 years. New radiocarbon dates: repeated use between 1320 and 1440, a span of 120 years.
| Measure | Value | As of | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earlier estimate, 20 to 50 yrs | 20 years | Earlier work | 5 |
| Repeated use, new dates | 120 years | 1320 to 1440 | 16 |
What happened
- Earlier work held that Waihemo was occupied for only 20 to 50 years during the 14th century.
- New dates from twigs, bird bones and moa eggshells show the site was used repeatedly between 1320 and 1440.
- At Kokohuia the ovens date to around 1440, about 160 years before the shellfish and fish bones that sit above them.
- Between 1290 and 1400 radiocarbon results from different periods look alike, so sites have often been filed under one broad 14th-century settlement period.
Why it matters
- What doesn't add up contradiction At Kokohuia the archaeology pointed to a brief stay and earlier radiocarbon to several centuries. The conflict dissolved once the ovens and the food remains were dated as separate events.
- What it sets up precedent Other sites where early-settler artifacts sit beside later objects can now be tested for repeated use of one place.
- Who has to decide decision Anyone re-dating a site in this period has to choose sample material first, since charred twigs and seeds give more reliable dates than older, larger branches.
Wiggle-matching compares the pattern in a run of radiocarbon measurements with known fluctuations in atmospheric carbon [4]. The team paired it with statistical modeling that accounts for the order in which remains were deposited [4].
The Waihemo revision is large. Repeated use between 1320 and 1440 spans 120 years, against the 20 to 50 years earlier estimates allowed, so the span is 2.4 to 6 times longer [16]. The new dates describe repeated use of the site, not an unbroken 120 years of occupation [6]. The authors say the people at the site changed their food sources over that time, moving toward shellfish, fish, dogs and birds found in open countryside [7].
The Kokohuia food remains date to around 1600 [14]. That falls inside the 1480-1640 window in which atmospheric radiocarbon changed little and results from across 160 years can look almost identical [3]. The authors say other archaeological evidence fits the revised dates, among it two-piece shell fishhooks that resemble hooks from later Māori sites in Northland and the Coromandel [12]. The account does not include error ranges for either date.
The authors' summary claim is that some economic changes began earlier than previously thought [13]. In our view that rests mainly on Waihemo. Kokohuia corrects the sequence at one site and does not itself show a shift in how people got their food.
Even the Waihemo result is a record of diet. The traditional scheme ties classic Māori society around 1600 to more intensive food production, fortified settlements and distinctive cultural traditions [1]. We think a move toward shellfish, fish, dogs and open-country birds is not the same thing as intensification, and the account does not claim it is.
The thing this doesn't tell you is how typical the two sites are. One is on the east coast of the South Island and the other overlooks Hokianga Harbour in Northland [15].
What to watch
- Published error ranges for the Kokohuia date of around 1600, which sits inside the flat stretch of the radiocarbon record.
- Whether the same wiggle-matching applied to other sites filed under the 14th-century settlement period also stretches their occupation.
- Whether a shift in diet by about 1410 turns up at sites beyond Waihemo and Kokohuia.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence55
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap+10
- Incentives
- Insufficient
- Confidence50
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
In the traditional scheme, a less understood transitional period was followed by the emergence of classic Māori society around 1600, with more intensive food production, fortified settlements and distinctive cultural traditions.
- [2]
Radiocarbon dating is particularly problematic for the years between 1290 and 1400, because remains from different periods can produce similar results, so archaeologists have often grouped sites within a broad 14th-century settlement period.
- [3]
Between 1480 and 1640 atmospheric radiocarbon levels changed very little, so remains from across that 160-year period can produce almost identical dating results.
- [4]
The researchers combined high-precision radiocarbon dating with statistical modeling that accounts for the order in which remains were deposited, and used wiggle-matching, which compares patterns in radiocarbon measurements with known fluctuations in atmospheric carbon levels.
- [5]
Archaeologists previously believed Waihemo (Shag River Mouth) had been occupied for just 20 to 50 years during the 14th century.
- [6]
New radiocarbon dates from twigs, bird bones and moa eggshells showed Waihemo had been used repeatedly between 1320 and 1440.
- [7]
By around 1410, the food sources used by Waihemo's inhabitants had shifted away from moa and seals toward greater reliance on shellfish, fish, dogs and birds found in the open countryside.
- [8]
The longer Waihemo timeline helps explain why artifacts associated with the earliest Polynesian settlers were found alongside objects from later periods, reflecting a gradual change in activity at the same site.
- [9]
At Kokohuia, archaeological evidence suggested the site was occupied only briefly, but earlier radiocarbon dating indicated it had been used for several centuries.
- [10]
The Kokohuia analysis used charred twigs and hinau seeds, short-lived materials that provide more reliable dates than older, larger branches, to refine the dating models.
- [11]
Ovens beneath the food remains at Kokohuia belonged to a much earlier, discrete period, dating to around 1440.
- [12]
The revised Kokohuia dates are consistent with other archaeological evidence, including two-piece shell fishhooks similar to those found at later Māori sites in Northland and the Coromandel.
- [13]
By combining high-precision radiocarbon dating with detailed archaeological evidence from two sites, the researchers found that some economic changes began earlier than previously thought.
- [14]
The researchers placed the accumulation of discarded shellfish and fish bones at Kokohuia around 1600.
- [15]
Waihemo is on the east coast of the South Island, and Kokohuia overlooks the Hokianga Harbour in Northland.
- [16]
The 1320-1440 span of repeated use at Waihemo is 120 years, which is 2.4 to 6 times the earlier estimate of 20 to 50 years.
- [17]
At Kokohuia the ovens (around 1440) are about 160 years older than the shellfish and fish bones above them (around 1600).
Get this ledger inside ChatGPT. Ask about any of our stories and the answer brings its figure, each claim’s verdict and the sources. Free, no account.
Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- phys.orgHow did early Māori society develop? New research reveals a clearer timeline
1 article · October 15, 2026
Topics and entities
Follow any of these and your For You feed starts watching them — no settings page required.
Topics
- Radiocarbon DatingFollow
- Māori archaeologyFollow
- ArchaeologyFollow