Māori potatoes

Whataroa potato (taewa), an example of a Māori potato

Potatoes originate in the Andes and temperate, and were introduced into Europe in the second half of the 16th century, part of the Columbian exchange.[7]

Māori traditions maintain that taewa were cultivated well before Europeans first visited Aotearoa.[1][2] Despite this, James Cook is presumed by academic scholars to have introduced potatoes to New Zealand in his first voyage (1769), as is Marion de Fresne.[4] More South American varieties came with sealers and whalers in the early 19th century.[6]

Taewa became a staple Māori food crop before organised European settlement, displacing traditional crops such as sweet potatoes (Māori: kūmara), taro, yams (Māori: uwhi) and bracken fern root (Māori: aruhe) as a primary carbohydrate source.[1] Taewa were able to grow in cooler climates, and were easier to store than kūmara.[8]

They were also an important trade good during the first period of European contact with Aotearoa around 1800 onwards.[2] Māori grew taewa commercially until the late 19th century but these were gradually supplanted by larger commercial potato varieties from Europe, which have higher yields. Māori have continued to grow traditional varieties, passing them from generation to generation.[9] This selection over time has made them hardy and mostly disease resistant.[8]

Taewa are generally grown with the same techniques and technology as commercial varieties. Taewa tend to produce more tubers per plant, but they are smaller than modern potatoes.[8] Traditionally, they are planted in spring, with maintenance tasks during the summer, and harvest in late autumn. Crops were planted according to the maramataka using crop rotation methods, and wood ash for fertiliser. All levels of society took part in production and harvesting.[8]

Photographic guide to different potatoes and taewa, including waiporoporo, huakaroro, whataroa and urenika (tūtae kurī).

Some taewa are known by multiple names. Koanga Institute have identified several that are in fact the same variety of potato such as karoro and peru ma.[10]

Prior to widespread European settlement, taewa did not suffer much from pests or disease. The biggest pests were native caterpillars which were controlled through fumigation using kauri gum or dried kawakawa leaves (Piper excelsum).[8]