jan 1, 1701 - The economy of Akaroa Māori based on fishing, catching of sea birds and shellfish gathering

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Key settlements in the harbour included Takapūneke, Ōnawe, Ōnuku, Ōpukutahi, Takamatua and Wainui.
The importance of the harbour’s mahinga kai (traditional food gathering practices and sites) was one of the principal reasons Akaroa was a popular area for Māori settlement.
The freshwater resources, harbour, ocean, adjacent bays, rocky shoreline and sandy beaches provided Takapūneke and other
settlements in the Harbour with a variety and abundance of finfish, shellfish and other forms of seafood. Subsequently the economy of
the Akaroa Māori was based on fishing, catching of sea birds and shellfish gathering.
During summer fish such as mangā (rig/dogfish/barracouta/ grumpy shark), red cod, hāpuka (groper) and hokarari (ling) were
taken in the warm inshore waters in large numbers. Freshwater fish, particularly inaka (whitebait), tuna (eels) and waikōura
(freshwater crayfish), were also in abundance. A variety of shellfish, including pāua, mussel, pipi, tuaki (cockle), cats eye, oyster, kina and limpet, and crustaceans such as crab and kōura
(crayfish), were gathered from the rocky shorelines and sandy beaches.

Since food was abundant in the summer and scarce during winter, food storage was very important. A high proportion of the foods
caught during summer, such as hāpuka, tuna, inaka, mussels and pipi were preserved. They were generally cooked in an umu (steam
pit), then hung in a storehouse to dry and harden, and then stored to be consumed later.
The surrounding forests would have provided an abundance and variety of forest dwelling birds such as kākā, kākāriki (New Zealand parakeet), kārearea (New Zealand falcon), kererū (New Zealand wood pigeon), kōkako, korimako (bellbird), laughing owl, mōhua (yellowhead), piopio, pīpipi, pīwakawaka (fantail), riroriro (grey warbler), tīeke (South Island saddleback) and tūī. These birds would have been gathered by local Māori to supplement the marine food resources.

Source: https://www.ccc.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Consultation/2017/October/Takapuneke-Conservation-Report-FINAL-Dec-2012.PDF

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