ABSTRACT
Before Polynesian arrival (~1200 ad), about 85% of Aotearoa-New Zealand (NZ) was covered in indigenous or native forest (Ausseil et al. 2011). At this time, areas not in forest included glacial alpine environments, alpine herbaceous areas, high tussock-lands, and extensive sand country and wetlands. By the mid-eighteenth century, this indigenous forest area had reduced to about 52% of
20.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 257 20.2 Soils and Their Uses in Pre-European Times ...................................................................... 258
20.2.1 Traditional Uses for Soils ......................................................................................... 258 20.2.2 Indigenous Forest and Scrub Plants Cultivated by Māori ........................................ 259
20.3 Soils and Their Uses around the Time of First European Contact ....................................... 259 20.3.1 Soils for Horticulture ................................................................................................ 259 20.3.2 Māori Horticulture ....................................................................................................260
