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Archaeological consultants are often the unseen partners in construction projects, working with developers to investigate sites before building begins.
In May, Dr Caroline Phillips, the lead archaeological consultant on the Ō Mahurangi – Penlink project, spoke to the Whangaparāoa community at the library about their work.
Dr Phillips has worked in New Zealand archaeology for more than 40 years. She explained how she and her team investigate sites before earthworks start and monitor construction activities in case anything historically significant is uncovered.
If they discover heritage sites dating from before 1900, they assess whether the development might damage them and advise the developers on how to protect these finds.
“Archaeology is both a method of investigation and a process of discovery,” Dr Phillips said. “It’s about understanding how people lived in the past.” Her team looks into heritage sites that may be affected by earthworks such as roads, housing, or horticulture developments. These sites may hold significance for Māori, Europeans, or others and can date back centuries.
Before working on the Penlink project, Dr Phillips had investigated the Billing Road site in the Bay of Plenty and several sites in Thames.
Her team was brought onto the Ō Mahurangi project because of the potential for heritage finds along the planned road route. They confirmed there was nothing significant within the Penlink area itself but also studied the Duck Creek Road area for clues about its past.
They found the local silt was similar to that at Long Bay and not suitable for Māori cultivation. The area was once densely forested with kauri, so one of their research aims was to figure out when the land was first cleared.
One key tool was checking old colonial survey plans, which often revealed what people were doing in past centuries, Dr Phillips said. The team uncovered middens similar to those at Long Bay and temporary camps dating from around the 1500s to 1700s, located near a walkway from the Weiti Estuary inland. Dr Phillips explained that Māori likely used these paths to collect shellfish, leaving the discarded shells behind in the middens, which showed signs of long-term harvesting.
The team also analysed pollen found in trenches, which provided clues about past vegetation. This suggested the pathways had been kept clear by frequent fires. Although dating was difficult, the pollen likely dated from the 1600s.
All animal bones found at the site were carefully identified to ensure no human remains were present.
