Ma¯ori settled here in 1250

A new study has carbon-dated the arrival of Ma¯ori settlers to as early as the 13th century.

The study, published in the journal PNAS, used updated radiocarbon technology at 436 archaeological sites in the North Island and 145 in the South.

Dr Magdalena Bunbury of Australia’s James Cook University, who led the study, said Ma¯ori’s estimated arrival was initially between the 12th and 14th centuries. ‘‘This study has narrowed that down and shown that early Ma¯ori settlement happened in the North Island between AD 1250 and AD 1275,’’ she said.

She said Ma¯ori reached the South Island between 1280 and 1295 where the population rapidly grew while they hunted moa. But the Ma¯ori population in the South shrank over time when the flightless birds went extinct and cooler weather known as the Little Ice Age set in between 1380 and 1420.

‘‘The results demonstrate connections between climate, resources, and population and will help us understand how human populations developed in other island nations,’’ said Bunbury.