Archaeology in Oceania, Vol. 00 (2018): 1–18 DOI: 10.1002/arco.5173 M¯ aori settlement of New Zealand: The Anthropocene as a process SIMON J. HOLDAWAY , JOSHUA EMMITT , LOUISE FUREY, ALEX JORGENSEN, GERARD O’REGAN , REBECCA PHILLIPPS, MATTHEW PREBBLE, RODERICK WALLACE and THEGN N. LADEFOGED SJH, JE,AJ,GO’R, RP, RW, TNL: University of Auckland; SJH: University of York; LF: Auckland War Memorial Museum T¯ amaki Paenga Hira; TNL: Te P¯ unaha Matatini; MP: The Australian National University ABSTRACT The lateness and prominence of Polynesian colonisation of New Zealand make it an ideal place to investigate the Anthropocene. We review the Anthropocene as a process and the information needed to understand the consequences of ongoing human–environmental interaction. Elsewhere in the world, a lengthy history complicates the ability to differentiate between the impact of people on the environment and the consequences of engagement. In New Zealand, engagement is not only of short duration but the landmass has a long coastline, with numerous offshore islands. These characteristics provide the scope to study the impact of engagement where it is particularly discernible. We introduce one such island, Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island). Upon arrival, Polynesian colonists found a temperate, geologically complex land covered in forest, populated by a diverse endemic flora and fauna. They knew how to produce crops and exploit wild food sources but had to rapidly adapt to new conditions marginal to production and new technological possibilities. The New Zealand case study allows consideration of whether the processes involved in creating the phenomena described by the Anthropocene are global, directional and inevitable, or are due to local, small-scale changes related to particular forms of production by M¯ aori, and their capacity to construct environmental change. Keywords: Anthropocene, New Zealand, M¯ aori, Ahuahu R ´ ESUM ´ E Le retard et la pro´ eminence de la colonisation Polyn´ esienne de la Nouvelle-Z´ elande en font un lieu id´ eal pour ´ etudier l’Anthropoc` ene. Nous examinons l’Anthropoc` ene en tant que processus et les informations n´ ecessaires pour comprendre les cons´ equences d’une interaction continue avec l’environnement humain. Ailleurs dans le monde, une longue histoire complique la capacit´ e` a diff´ erencier l’impact des personnes sur l’environnement et les cons´ equences de l’engagement. En Nouvelle-Z´ elande, l’engagement est non seulement de courte dur´ ee, mais la masse terrestre a un long littoral avec de nombreuses ˆ ıles au large des cˆ otes. Ces caract´ eristiques permettent d’´ etudier l’impact de l’engagement l` a o` u il est particuli` erement discernable. Nous pr´ esentons une de ces ˆ ıles, Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island). ` A leur arriv´ ee, les colons Polyn´ esiens ont trouv´ e une terre temp´ er´ ee et g´ eologiquement complexe recouverte de forˆ ets peupl´ ees d’une faune et d’une flore end´ emiques diverses. Ils savaient produire des r´ ecoltes et exploiter des sources alimentaires sauvages, mais devaient s’adapter rapidement ` a de nouvelles conditions marginales ` a la production et ` a de nouvelles possibilit´ es technologiques. L’´ etude de cas N´ eo-Z´ elandaise permet de d´ eterminer si les processus impliqu´ es dans la cr´ eation des ph´ enom` enes d´ ecrits par l’Anthropoc` ene sont mondiaux, directionnels et in´ evitables, ou sont dus ` a des changements locaux ` a petite ´ echelle li´ es ` a des formes particuli` eres de production des Maoris et ` a leur capacit´ e` a construire des changements environnementaux. Mots-cl´ es l’Anthropoc` ene, Nouvelle-Z´ elande, Maori, Ahuahu TUHINGA WHAKAR ¯ APOPOT ´ O Ki te aro atu ki te ao wh¯ anui, he nohonga hou a Aotearoa. N¯ a t¯ en¯ a, he whenua pai m¯ a ng¯ a mahi ketuketu o te Anthropocene. Ka whaia te Anthropocene kia whai m¯ aramatanga ki te mahi o te tangata i t¯ ana nohonga i te whenua, me ¯ ana p¯ anga ki te taiao. Kia tahuri ki whenua k¯ e, n¯ a te roa o te nohonga o te tangata i ¯ o r¯ atou whaitua, he mahi uaua kia wetewetehia ng¯ a tohu i te whenua, n¯ a te tangata i ¯ a r¯ atou e noho-tahi ana i taua taiao, puta noa i te ao. Heoi, kei Aotearoa, he poto te w¯ a o te nohonga o te tangata, ¯ a, he tahatika roroa i tai me te maha hoki o ng ¯ a moutere iti e t¯ u ana i tai. N ¯ a aua kitenga, ka taea te t ¯ atari te hononga o te tangata ki te taiao me ng¯ a nukuhanga o roto. Ko Ahuahu t¯ etahi moutere p¯ er¯ a. I te taenga mai o ng ¯ a iwi o te Moana nui a Kiwa i kitea e r ¯ atou t¯ etahi w¯ ahi h¯ atai, he hopunga n¯ aT¯ ane, m¯ a¯ ana tamariki, ar¯ a, ng¯ a otaota, ng ¯ a r¯ akau, ng¯ a ngangara, ng¯ a manu hoki. I a r ¯ atou ng¯ a m¯ aramatanga o te mahinga kai, o te r¯ aweke i ng¯ a hua o Haumie hoki. Heoi, n ¯ a te mea e rerek¯ e ana te taiao katoa, ng ¯ a r¯ akau, ng¯ a paru, i tere urutau r¯ atou ki ng ¯ a rerek¯ etanga me ng¯ a mea hou, hei C  2018 Oceania Publications