The prehistory of the Southern Wairarapa

Abstract

Abstract Archaeological evidence for prehistoric settlement in the southern Wairarapa region of New Zealand is reviewed. The widely‐used dichotomy of Archaic and Classic Maori is not found to be appropriate to this region. Instead, the threads of stability and change in economy, settlement pattern, material culture, technology, and communication patterns are placed in a setting of the complex environmental history of the region. A series of seven cultural periods, spanning AD1100 to AD1853, is suggested.