Kauri gum industry in Northland, New Zealand : a bibliography, 1835-2002

Abstract

Kauri gum digging was arduous and physically demanding work. Initially, Maori and European diggers simply dug for it with spades then; when deposits near the surface became exhausted they probed with long spears. The gum was frequently found in swamps, which meant wet and dirty work for the diggers. Many of the photographs taken during these times clearly illustrate this. Long hours were worked and, when the darkness came, the diggers returned to their whares to wash, to prepare dinner, then to scrape gum by candlelight. The gum was used in a number of industrial processes including the manufacture of varnishes and linoleum. Following World War II, kauri gum was replaced by synthetics. Many of the kauri gum diggers were immigrants from Dalmatia. The gum diggers made a large contribution to the Northland economy especially the later years of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century when there were thousands of diggers in Northland. Today, the gum fields are barely visible and the last gum digger has died. There are various resources available pertaining to the kauri gum industry in New Zealand, but physical access to them is difficult due to the disparate nature of the material. The story that has been written is often hidden in parliamentary papers and in particular reports of kauri gum commissioners recording their numerous visits to the gum fields. The major aim of the bibliography is to provide access to resources, to enable teachers, students and researchers to locate material concerning this extremely interesting and historical subject area. In doing so it will, perhaps, bring alive this part of the history of New Zealand that has left virtually no physical traces except for a few landmarks and exhibits in museums.