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Towards the Development of Colonial Archaeology in New Zealand: Part 1 PETER J

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Towards the Development of Colonial Archaeology in New Zealand: Part 1 PETER J AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, 1, 1983 Towards the Development of Colonial Archaeology in New Zealand: Part 1 PETER J. F. COUTTS In this, the first oftwo papers, Peter Coutts, Director ofthe Victoria Archaeological Survey, writes about part of his work in New Zealand some years ago. In New Zealand, as also in Australia, historical archaeologists are faced with the problem ofconstructing a usable data base, comprising both documentary and archaeological material, on which future research workers can draw. In the following paper this task is attempted for the New Zealand building industry in the 19th cen­ tury. Other aspects ofNew Zealand historical archaeology will be examined in a subsequent paper. The author discusses building materials and their sources and examines the way that the avail­ ability ofthese materials influenced building, particularly house-building, in New Zealand during the 19th century. He shows also how fluctuations in the building industry correlated with economic booms and depressions. During the late 1960s the author, at that time resident types of buildings erected, construction technology, in Dunedin, New Zealand, developed an interest in the functions and life expectancies of buildings. colonial architecture and archaeology and carried out Over the past two decades, there has been a steady detailed surveys with some excavation on a sequence growth in interest in historical archaeology in New of 19th century mission houses on Ruapuke Island.' Zealand and several projects have been undertaken." A number of early 19th century European-Maori con­ However, the basic problem of drawing together tact sites were also excavated at Southport in Fiord­ information from a wide variety ofsources to provide land, yielding a wide variety of European artefacts an accessible data pool for use by historical archae­ which had probably been acquired by the Maori from ologists remains. European sealers and whalers working in the area." Although the author's studies have been heavily Later, in 1972, as William Evans Fellow working out biased towards the South Island, much of the infor­ of the Hocken Library, Otago University, the author mation gathered is relevant for the whole ofNew Zea­ conducted historical archaeological projects at one of land and in some instances to the early colonial period the South Island's earliest farms,' at Taieri Island on ofAustralia. In this and in a later paper select aspects a 19th century shore-based whaling station,' at the of colonial history of particular relevance to the his­ Waipori goldfields on Chinese mud-brick houses, and torical archaeologist have been singled out for dis­ in Dunedin and suburbs on 19th century buildings. 5 cussion. Attention is focussed on settlement patterns, As work progressed on these projects the lack ofread­ the building industry and 19th century architecture. ily accessible comparative data and relevant historical The intention is to begin the task of providing a usa­ information was continually thrown into focus. Even­ ble data base for archaeologists working in this field. tually the author was persuaded that a major review During the 19th century both Australia and New of the evidence available from a variety ofsources was Zealand grew towards nationhood in relative geo­ essential before the archaeological and historical data graphical isolation. Isolation sometimes meant delays could be meaningfully evaluated. in the transmission of new ideas and advances in A literature survey was undertaken, followed by a technology and in the delivery of essential goods. It search for reference collections of 19th century arte­ also increased the cost of some imported consumer facts in New Zealand. These exercises indicated that items to the point where they became luxuries. It did few scholars had taken an interest in colonial archi­ not take long for local industries to be established and tecture and none in historical archaeology, other than efforts were made to make' maximum use of local in a few instances where projects had focussed on materials. These industries also produced raw mate­ Maori sites dating to the colonial period." Again no rials for local trade. The history of the building trades useful reference collections of archaeological material in Australia and New Zealand closely mirrors the eco­ such as bottles, buttons, crockery, clothing, clay pipes nomic histories of those two countries. It is domi­ and building materials were located. However, scat­ nated by a number ofstrongly interdependent factors, tered amongst the wide variety of sources examined including technological innovations, inherited archi­ (diaries, newspapers, journals, photographs, drawings tectural traditions, construction techniques, labour etc.) there proved to be an enormous body of infor­ availability and, of particular concern to the archae­ mation, which when properly ordered and assessed, ologist, the availability and accessibility of building will be of great utility to the historical archaeologists materials." In the following sections the history of the for erecting interpretative models. The information utilisation of local and imported building materials includes data on early building materials and how they and the growth of local industries linked with the were used, the tools and equipment used by colonists, building trade for the Otago-Southland area of New Zealand have been summarised. 55 2400 r-- 2000 0 0 LJ.J - I c: I- LJ.J 0- 1600 - ~ (f) :;) c: (f) .-- « z LJ.J >- u_LJ.J ~~;:; 1200 - LJ.J (f) c I-- (f) LJ.J OJ (f) ~ « :;) LJ.J OJ c: 0 "0 U I o" ~ LL X 800 0 OJ LJ.J in <.9 ex: ~ « LL OJ _r--- c: co .0 r-- LJ.J ~ E - :;) > z~" 400 - « lnitia l I--- settjment o II 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 AD Fig. 1: Average increase per year in the number ofhouses during each census period. The peaks and troughs tend to correlate with periods oj economic booms and depressions. (All data extracted from Statistics of the Colony of New Zealand.) 4000 Numbers employed in the building industry III 3000 ~ (f) LJ.J III LJ.J >- 0 II ....J 0- ~ 2000 III LJ.J LL 0 III a: LJ.J Numbers employed co 1000 at sawmills ~ :;) e z e e...-/ Numbers employed in e e the brick & tile ind.~ e 0 1840 1850 1860 1870** 1880 * 1890* * 1900 AD Fig. 2: Numbers ofmen employed in various branches of THE BUILDING INDUSTRY the building industry during the last three decades ofthe 19th century. Sources of information Relevant sources for the first half of the 19th century tury. This includes correspondence, drawings and are not common. They include the diaries, corre­ diaries from the archives of the firm of architects spondence and papers from the Weller Brothers and Mason and Wales (dating from 1862); various news­ Octavius Harwood who were linked with a whaling papers, including the Otago Daily Times, Otago Wit­ station situated at Otakou near the entrance to Otago ness and the Daily Telegraph; encyclopaedias (for the Harbour; early volumes ofthe Otago Journal and New Otago and Southland area); records, letters and busi­ Zealand Journal; letters, and papers relating to the ness documents from various business houses in New Zealand Company and Dunedin settlement; and Dunedin; numerous books, journals, diaries, letters, archaeological data from a whaling station which was almanacs, business catalogues, congress reports and situated on Taieri Island some 24km south of statistical data,? contemporary documents housed in Dunedin. the Hocken Library, University of Otago, Dunedin; By way of contrast there is an abundance of source and most importantly there are still many well pre­ material available for the second half of the 19th cen- served examples of late 19th century houses in the 56 study area which are extant records of the building However, there was a short delay before the settlers materials and construction techniques current during were able to exploit this rich source of raw materials. that period. Their first preoccupation was with building shelters to secure themselves from the weather. These building activities were carried out speedily, using whatever Timber materials were at hand. The major problems with When the first Europeans arrived on the shores of exploiting the timber stands were that they had to be southern New Zealand they could hardly fail to have sought on foot and, once found, the timber had to be been impressed by the magnificant podocarp forests cut by hand and then dragged back to the building sites which seemed to clothe the entire hinterland."? Many without the aid of bullocks or machines. This was an of the forest tress had been growing for centuries barely arduous and time-consuming process and shelters were disturbed by man and their great size, strength and necessary while the timbers were being cut. Indeed in accessibility must have enchanced their commercial 1832 Busby had recommended that New Zealand set­ prospects. Nevertheless, during the late l Sth and early tlers bring timber with them because ofthe difficulties 19th centuries, these forests were hardly exploited of winning it from the indigenous forest and doubts because they were too remote from market centres." about its suitability for building." During the first two decades ofthe 19th century the In 1848 the Sawyers Bay area was reputed to have sealing industry reached its peak and quickly waned. been a major source of timber. Timber was cut there It was then that ex-sealers began to turn their atten­ and floated to the town on rafts.'? However, the tim­ tion to the forests and by 1826 they had established ber was expensive.s? the sawyers being paid at the rate a small shipbuilding industry on Stewart Island.'? of sixteen shillings per hundred feet of timber in Towards the end of the l820s the number of whalers 1849,21 and Maori sawyers at the rate ofthree shillings increased and ultimately a number ofshore-based sta­ per day in 1848.22 In 1849 sawn timber cost between tions were established between Preservation Inlet in twelve shillings and twenty shillings per hundred feet Fiordland and Timaru on the east coast.
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