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2570 BCE
First inhabitants- 1000AD or CE
In 2570 BCE the great pyramid of Giza in Egypt was completed. But the remote islands of New Zealand lay empty of human history. From around 1000 BCE the Lapita people spread into West Polynesia. In Europe, Roman civilization rose and fell. By 700 CE the Arab empire was expanding, and in 1066 the Normans conquered Britain. Still New Zealand remained unseen and unknown. -
Kaiapoi established by Ngāi Tahu as a central trading kainga
Meaning of place name Kaiapoi is the shortened name for Te Kōhaka-a-Kaikai-a-Waro - a pā established by Tūrākautahi, the son of Tūāhuriri and one of the principal rangatira who led the Ngāi Tūāhuriri migration to Canterbury. It became a major Ngāi Tahu trading centre and stronghold. -
Iwi migrate to the South Island/ Te Waipounamu
They arrived in Whakatū, Nelson and proceeded to explore and inhabit the South Island. This is the origin of the Waitaha iwi, who named the land and the coast that borders it. The plentiful resources of Te Waipounamu called others to abandon their northern homes and move southward.