An exciting pilot project has been completed in the Gisborne district. The Gisborne Pilot Project involved reviewing a sample of archaeological sites in the vicinity of Tolaga Bay, north of Gisborne which have been included on the NZHPT's Register of historic places, historic areas, wahi tapu and wahi tapu areas.

The project was led by NZHPT staff working in partnership with the Department of Conservation (DoC), New Zealand Archaeological Association (NZAA) and in collaboration with the relevant landowners, managers and local iwi.

The 45 sites that were selected for the study sample are located in the immediate Tolaga Bay area, and were entered onto the Register in the mid 1980s. They span from the period of first Polynesian settlement in the 14th – 15th centuries A.D, through the time of initial European contact in the late 18th century. The sites comprise of pa, pits, pit/terraces, terraces, middens, and gunfighter pa sites.

These sites were registered for their archaeological values, but the information collected for most of the sites was very limited, often containing no more than basic location information. As part of the Pilot Project, all 45 registered sites were revisited. Information was collated and used to compile a short report for each registered historic place that was added to the Register Online.

The Gisborne Pilot Project has resulted in helping to raise the profile not only of the sites in the study, but also of the archaeological and cultural sites within the Tolaga Bay area.

There are currently just over 1000 archaeological sites on the NZHPT Register. These sites were generally entered onto the Register as a result of regional studies, focusing on areas such as Otago, Porirua, Tasman Bay, the Aupouri State Forest, and the Western Bay of Plenty. The majority of archaeological sites on the NZHPT Register are of pre-European Maori origin (midden, ovens, pa, terraces, pits), but there is also a range of historic sites including military redoubts, goldmining sites and Chinese sites.

Please note that these sites are on private property. Permission to access these sites is at the discretion of the individual owners.

Pilot Project Sites

Find out more about the sites in the Pilot Project:

Pits Pits/Terraces Pits Pits Ngapopohia Pa Pits Ratau Pa Pits Gunfighter Pa Pits/Terraces Pits Pits Pits/Terraces Pits Pits/Terrace Pa Taharangi Haparangi Te Raroa Pits

Pits Pits Pits Pits Pits Terraces Pits Pits Hikatu Pits Pits Pits Te Raroa Pits/Terraces Pits Pa Pits/Terraces Pit Complex Pits Te Kararoa Midden