Humans in NZ 'by late 13th century' (+video)

The Press

SIGN OF THE TIMES: Janet Wilmshurst says radiocarbon dating on rat bones and native seeds has led her to conclude that humans were in New Zealand in the late 13th century.

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Scientists believe they have solved a hotly debated mystery – when humans first arrived in New Zealand.
View video: Study shows Maori introduced rats

Using radiocarbon dating on Pacific rat bones and rat-gnawed native seeds, they have concluded human colonisation occurred in the late 13th century.

That goes against previous research, which argued humans first arrived in New Zealand more than 2000 years ago.

"As the Pacific rat or kiore cannot swim very far, it can only have arrived in New Zealand with people on board their canoes, either as cargo or stowaways," Janet Wilmshurst of Landcare Research said. "Therefore, the earliest evidence of the Pacific rat in New Zealand must indicate the arrival of people."

The research took a team of international researchers four years. Of all the rat bones they dug up, none dated from before 1280AD.

Dr Wilmshurst said the new dating of the rat bones was supported by dating from more than 100 seeds. Many had tell-tale rat bite marks and were preserved in peat and swamp sites in the North and South Islands.

"The width of the teeth marks left on the woody seeds exactly matches those of a rat's two front teeth, and cannot be mistaken for any other seed predator."

Research published in 1996 produced a much earlier date for human settlement, of about 200 BC, which has been debated since. The original dates have been a source of debate since they were published in Nature magazine in 1996.

Critics said there was no supporting ecological or archaeological evidence for the presence of kiore or humans till the late 1200s, and questioned the reliability of the bone-dating.

Waikato University earth science senior lecturer David J Lowe said the theory of earlier settlement was now quashed.

Flaws in the testing may have produced the results, Professor Lowe said.

Theories that the Pacific rat may have somehow arrived separately to humans – for example, by floating on pumice from volcanic explosions – had also been discounted. "They were a commensal of humans, they sat at the dining table with them."

Dr Wilmshurst said the work would help researchers better understand the impact of humans on the native environment.

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Prof David Lowe   #1   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Please note the comment that the rats ..."were a commensal of humans, they sat at the dining table with them" was metaphorical and relates to the rats arriving with humans and surviving with them. Some Pacific cultures used the rats as a food source so they were very much commensal!

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