1 PAYDIRT
On arrival in Aotearoa in the 13th century, one of the first things Māori would have realised was that the plants and seeds they had brought from east Polynesia may not love their new home – and some amelioration of conditions was needed. To combat the cooler climes and extend the growing season necessary for the crops to fruit, soils often needed improving to both lighten and warm them. Kūmara, for example, grows best in light, sandy soils, in mounds or on sunny slopes. In the absence of these, kirikiri (gravel), pumice and even wood charcoal were added. This increases drainage and aeration; and the stones absorb the sun’s heat releasing it during the cool of the
