New Zealand was first occupied by which people?

One of the last major land masses settled by humans was New Zealand. There is radiocarbon dating, evidence of deforestation and DNA evidence indicating that the modern day country called New Zealand, was first settled by people from the Maori populations from 1250 and 1300 CE. However most recent archaeological and genetic research points to a date no earlier than about 1280 CE with at least the main settlement period between 1320 and 1350 CE.

These early settlers came from eastern Polynesia resulting from a culmination in a long series of voyages through the Pacific Islands. A distinctive culture emerged known as Maori with different tribes and sub tribes which both cooperated and competed, sometimes engaging in fighting.

The Maori people descended from Polynesians whose ancestors emigrated from Taiwan to Melanesia between 3000 and 1000 BCE and then travelled east, reaching the Society Islands in the South Pacific Ocean around 1000 CE. After a pause of 70 to 265 years, a new wave of exploration led to their discovery and settlement of New Zealand.

The first Europeans known to have reached New Zealand were Dutch explorers. First in 1642 and then the British explorer James Cook came in 1769 and mapped out the coastline of the country (pictured stamp).

The Papuans are from the easternmost province of Indonesia.