The chronology of colonization in New Zealand
Abstract
New Zealand was the last substantial landmass to be colonized by prehistoric people. Even within Oceania, where there are much smaller and more remote islands, such as Pitcairn and Easter Island, New Zealand stands out as the last-settled archipelago. Its prehistory promises, therefore, better archaeological evidence concerning prehistoric colonization of pristine land-masses than is the case anywhere else, as is apparent in the extinction of megafauna (Anderson 1989a). But much depends on the precise antiquity of human colonization and this, following a long period of consensus, is now a matter of sharp debate.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
New Zealand's short colonization chronology is confirmed, with an EAEM-LAEM range of A.D. ∼1230-1282.
“New Zealand's well-established short colonization chronology (11), which was further shortened and refined by dates from nonarchaeological sites on short-lived woody seed cases gnawed by the Polynesian-introduced Rattus exulans and compared with terrestrial avian eggshell from an early human cemetery (4, 15), and the short colonization chronology for Rapa Nui (6), are both confirmed here (EAEM–LAE”
From High-precision radiocarbon dating shows recent and rapid initial human colonization of East Polynesia (2011) · cites this paper as [11]
Cites
New Zealand Journal of Ecology
New Zealand Ecological Society (2022) · New Zealand Journal of Ecology · doi:10.20417/nzjecol · Cited by 2,168 · see citing works
Radiocarbon Age Calibration of Marine Samples Back to 9000 Cal Yr BP
Stuiver, M., Pearson, G. W., & Braziunas, T. F. (1986) · Radiocarbon · doi:10.1017/s0033822200060264 · Cited by 752 · see citing works
A Computer Program for Radiocarbon Age Calibration
Stuiver, M., & Reimer, P. J. (1986) · Radiocarbon · doi:10.1017/s0033822200060276 · Cited by 687 · see citing works
Foraging and Farming: The Evolution of Plant Exploitation
Simmons, I. G., Harris, D. R., & Hillman, G. C. (1990) · Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers · doi:10.2307/623100 · Cited by 669 · see citing works
High-Precision Calibration of the Radiocarbon Time Scale, AD 1950–500 BC
Stuiver, M., & Pearson, G. W. (1986) · Radiocarbon · doi:10.1017/s0033822200060161 · Cited by 653 · see citing works
Polynesian Deforestation of New Zealand: A Preliminary Synthesis
McGlone, M. S. (1983) · Archaeology in Oceania/Archæology & physical anthropology in Oceania · doi:10.1002/arco.1983.18.1.11 · Cited by 266 · see citing works
Spriggs, M. (1989) · Antiquity · doi:10.1017/s0003598x00076560 · Cited by 231 · see citing works
Prodigious Birds: Moas and Moa-Hunting in Prehistoric New Zealand
Anderson, A. (1989) · Cited by 202 · see citing works
Self-citationDistribution of subfossil forest remains, eastern South Island, New Zealand
Molloy, B. P. J., Burrows, C. J., Cox, J. E., et al. (1963) · New Zealand Journal of Botany · doi:10.1080/0028825x.1963.10429322 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Davidson, J. (1984) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 182 · see citing works
McFadgen, B. G. (1985) · Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand · doi:10.1080/03036758.1985.10416846 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
The Moa-Hunter period of Maori culture
Duff, R. S., Skinner, H. D., & Trotter, M. M. (1977) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Late Holocene stratigraphy of coastal deposits between Auckland and Dunedin, New Zealand
McFadgen, B. G. (1985) · Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand · doi:10.1080/03036758.1985.10421742 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Major periods of erosion and alluvial sedimentation in New Zealand during the Late Holocene
Grant, P. J. (1985) · Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand · doi:10.1080/03036758.1985.10421743 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Prehistoric man in Palliser Bay
Leach, F., & Leach, H. M. (1979) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Sydney University Natural Radiocarbon Measurements IV
Gillespie, R. (1977) · Radiocarbon · doi:10.1017/s0033822200003374 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Calibrating New Zealand Radiocarbon Dates of Marine Shells
McFadgen, B. G., & Manning, M. (1990) · Radiocarbon · doi:10.1017/s0033822200040194 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
New Zealand radiocarbon reference standards
Rafter, T. A., Jansen, H. S. M., Lockerbie, L., et al. (1973) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · doi:10.5281/zenodo.6566156 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF RAOUL ISLAND (KERMADECS) AND ITS PLACE IN THE SETTLEMENT HISTORY OF POLYNESIA
Anderson, A. (1980) · Archaeology in Oceania/Archæology & physical anthropology in Oceania · doi:10.1002/j.1834-4453.1980.tb00331.x · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Self-citationAnderson, A., & McFadgen, B. G. (1990) · Archaeology in Oceania/Archæology & physical anthropology in Oceania · doi:10.1002/j.1834-4453.1990.tb00228.x · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Self-citationAdaptation and Change in Maori Culture
Green, R. (1975) · Monographiae biologicae · doi:10.1007/978-94-010-1941-5_16 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
The colonisation of New Zealand by the Polynesians
Caughley, G. (1988) · Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand · doi:10.1080/03036758.1988.10426469 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
The pattern of prehistoric Polynesian colonisation in New Zealand
Anderson, A., & McGovern-Wilson, R. (1990) · Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand · doi:10.1080/03036758.1990.10426732 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Self-citationTowards 1990 : seven leading historians examine significant aspects of New Zealand history
Anderson, A., & Green, D. G. (1989) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Self-citationArchaeometric studies of cordyline (TI) based on ethnobotanical and archaeological research
Fankhauser, B. L. (1986) · Otago University Research Archive (University of Otago) · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Anderson, A. (1982) · Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand · doi:10.1080/03036758.1982.10415351 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Self-citationAge relationship between a Maori plaggen soil and Moa‐hunter sites on the west Wellington coast
McFadgen, B. G. (1980) · New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics · doi:10.1080/00288306.1980.10424210 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Jigsaw: reconstructive lithic technology
Leach, H. M. (1984) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511753244.011 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Sydney University Natural Radiocarbon Measurements II
Gillespie, R., & Temple, R. (1973) · Radiocarbon · doi:10.1017/s0033822200009012 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Late Holocene depositional episodes in coastal New Zealand
McFadgen, B. G. (1989) · New Zealand Journal of Ecology · Cited by 11 · see citing works
The antiquidity of man at Lake Poukawa, New Zealand
McFadgen, B. G. (1979) · Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand · doi:10.1080/03036758.1979.10419412 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
A New Zealand Myth: Kupe, Toi and the ‘Fleet’
Simmons, D. R. (2022) · Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University) · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Enright, N. J., & Osborne, N. M. (1988) · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Recent uplift at Raoul Island, Kermadec Group, Southwest Pacific
Anderson, A., & Schofield, J. C. (1987) · New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics · doi:10.1080/00288306.1987.10552628 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Self-citationEXCAVATIONS AT MAIORO, N51/5, SOUTH AUCKLAND, 1965-66
Fox, A., & Green, R. C. (. C. (1982) · Biodiversity Heritage Library (Smithsonian Institution) · doi:10.5281/zenodo.15981177 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Environment and Archaeology in New Zealand
McFadgen, B. G. (1978) · Figshare · doi:10.26686/wgtn.16958539.v1 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Interpretation of Evidence for the Early Prehistory of New Zealand: Reply to Sutton
Grant, P. (1988) · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Wilmshurst, J. M., Hunt, T. L., Lipo, C. P., & Anderson, A. J. (2011) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1015876108 · Cited by 593 · see citing works
Self-citationDating the late prehistoric dispersal of Polynesians to New Zealand using the commensal Pacific rat
Wilmshurst, J. M., Anderson, A. J., Higham, T. F. G., & Worthy, T. H. (2008) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0801507105 · Cited by 541 · see citing works
Self-citationLate Colonization of Easter Island
Hunt, T. L., & Lipo, C. P. (2006) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1121879 · Cited by 284 · see citing works
Late colonization of East Polynesia
Spriggs, M., & Anderson, A. (1993) · Antiquity · doi:10.1017/s0003598x00045324 · Cited by 284 · see citing works
Self-citationDating the first New Zealanders: the chronology of Wairau Bar
Higham, T., Anderson, A., & Jacomb, C. (1999) · Antiquity · doi:10.1017/s0003598x00088360 · Cited by 119 · see citing works
Self-citationPrehistoric human impacts on Rapa, French Polynesia
Kennett, D., Anderson, A., Prebble, M., Conte, E., & Southon, J. (2006) · Antiquity · doi:10.1017/s0003598x00093662 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Self-citationA radiocarbon chronology for Sāmoan prehistory
Rieth, T. M., & Hunt, T. L. (2008) · Journal of Archaeological Science · doi:10.1016/j.jas.2007.12.001 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Subpolar settlement in South Polynesia
Anderson, A. (2005) · Antiquity · doi:10.1017/s0003598x00114930 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Self-citationThe timing of the human discovery and colonization of New Zealand
Sutton, D. G., Flenley, J. R., Li, X., Todd, A., Butler, K., Summers, R., & Chester, P. I. (2008) · Quaternary International · doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2007.09.025 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Evidence for a Shorter Chronology on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Hunt, T. L., & Lipo, C. P. (2008) · The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology · doi:10.1080/15564890801990797 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Dating human dispersal in Remote Oceania: A Bayesian view from Hawai‘i
Dye, T. S. (2015) · World Archaeology · doi:10.1080/00438243.2015.1052845 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
- Authors
- Anderson, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Otago (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- Anderson, Atholl
- ORCID
- Anderson, Atholl
- Venue
- Antiquity
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 1991-12
- Volume
- 65
- Issue
- 249
- Pages
- 767-795
- ISSN
- 0003-598X (ISSN-L)
- 1745-1744
- OpenAlex
- W2337471724
- Cited by
- 301
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 47.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Antiquity (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Geography, Planning and Development › Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Keywords
- prehistoric colonization, megafaunal extinction, Oceania
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
