Public Talk: Why rua kumara (storage pits) matter

Archaeologist Kevin Jones will host a public talk on rua kumara (storage pits), including about kumara gardening and Hawke's Bay. Entry is by gold coin donation to the Art Deco Trust.

Horticulture and storage pits are known from the earliest times in New Zealand. They probably developed rapidly from the types of pits used in central East Polynesia. New Zealand storage pits were mostly for kumara. They range in size from about 1 x 1.5 m to 8 x 10 m in plan area but were seldom more than about 1 m deep. Storing kumara in pits allowed the crop to survive through the winter. People could eat the kumara in lean times in the spring and have seed plants for planting in November.

Storage pits are found in great numbers within fortified pā, and some have speculated that pā may be fortified food stores. Analysis of pits may allow us an easy way to determine the limits of kumara gardening in New Zealand and calculate the areas of gardening and how many people could be supported. Hawke’s Bay has some of the highest numbers of storage pits anywhere in New Zealand.

This talk will be illustrated with many photographs including aerial photographs and will be suitable for a wide audience including senior school pupils.

Image: Storage pits are prominent in this view of Kohukete Pā taken by Kevin Jones.