From adzes to aluminium, Tiwai Point at the entrance to Bluff Harbour has been a site of industry for around 600 years – and more details of its natural and cultural history will soon be revealed thanks to a resurrected archaeological project.

Eleven tonnes of stone artefacts, faunal remains and other artefacts extracted from Tiwai that have been in storage for 57 years, are now on the move thanks to Crown Relocation, who are transporting the cultural material from its Invercargill home amongst the collections of the former Southland Museum (now cared for by Te Kupeka Tiaki Taoka Southern Regional Collections Trust) to Otago Museum in Dunedin. There it will be surveyed, analysed, reviewed and catalogued by a small team led by University of Otago Senior Archeologist, Dr Chris Jennings.

“This is a significant milestone in the project, as the study of the excavated material will give us a greater understanding of the earliest human activity in the Bluff Harbour area and the Polynesian settlement of Aotearoa New Zealand,” says Dr Chris Jennings, who studied material from the Tiwai Point site as a major part of his PhD thesis.

“Several projects have been undertaken by researchers since the 1968 excavations. These studies have indicated that Tiwai Point was a settlement that focused on toki (adze) production using local argillite sources. Extensive stone tool production at the site was sustained by hunting, fishing and shellfish gathering activities.” says Dr Jennings.

Along with a review of material which was also radiocarbon dated in 1976, a team of scientists and researchers will be collating all available documentation including photographs and newspaper articles, relating to Tiwai Point – as well as conducting interviews with the remaining archaeologists; museum assistants and volunteers who participated in the 1968/1969 archaeological field work. Te Rūnaka o Awarua, the local Ngāi Tahu tribal authority is leading the project with support from Otākou Whakaihu Waka - the University of Otago, Te Kupeka Tiaki Taoka Southern Regional Collections Trust, Rio Tinto and Otago Museum.

Rio Tinto, owners of NZ Aluminium Smelter (NZAS) and the site where the Tiwai Archaeological collection was excavated, is funding the first stage of analysis and research work. 

“Extracting new information from these lithics is extremely important for our iwi. This will reinforce our whakapapa connection to our tūpuna, to Tiwai and how we used our resources. The material has been stored waiting for the right time and resourcing to have this mahi done," says Dean Whaanga, representative of Te Rūnaka o Awarua. “To now receive funding thanks to Rio Tinto Tiwai, to bring this history to light, will allow for a broader cultural narrative regarding this taoka.”

“Tiwai Point is well known to our Southland community as the home of Rio Tinto’s Aluminium Smelter, since its construction back in 1971 when it was known as Comalco and built in conjunction with the Manapouri Power Station – and it’s fascinating to think that over 600 years ago it was also a thriving site centre of business where many toki (adzes) were produced, among other tools of industry” says Dion Williams, Rio Tinto NZAS Manager of Communities and Social Performance. “Our business is part of Southland’s past, present and future, and we want to play our part in acknowledging and raising awareness of a history here that can be dated back many centuries before us.”

There is a rich archaeological legacy which is found throughout Southland in Invercargill City, Southland District and Gore District. The Project Steering Committee, comprised of Te Rūnaka o Awarua, the University of Otago Archaeology Programme, Te Kupeka Tiaki Taoka Southern Regional Collections Trust and Rio Tinto, hope that this will be the start of future opportunities where our community can gain better knowledge and understanding of the past for the present and the future.

The long-term plan on future ownership and storage of the Tiwai collection, and how it will be curated and displayed will be worked through by the Project Steering Committee.

“The good thing is there is a shared desire by everyone involved that this story be told well and properly,” says Wayne Marriott, the project lead. “The names around the table may have changed, but nearly 57 years on from that excavation it’s still the same groups involved. That demonstrates the sheer sense of commitment and engagement this project has nurtured.”

Note:

*Lithics are stone artifacts, such as tools, flakes, or cores, that are found at prehistoric sites. Lithics are the most common type of artifact found at these sites because organic materials like bone and textiles are rarely preserved

** Taoka- treasure.

Timeline of Tiwai archaeological discovery

1940’s - Archaeological material located in, on and around the Tiwai Peninsula

Early 1960s - Interest in the development of an Aluminium Smelter prompted an initial survey of Tiwai.

1966, early 1968 - Southland Museum Trust Board pushed for an excavation.

1968 - Otago Anthropological Society, University of Otago, Otago Museum, and Southland Museum began an excavation of the site of the proposed smelter.

1969 - Nearly 11 tonnes of material unearthed and stored as a research collection at Southland Museum (now Te Kupeka Tiaki Taoka Southern Regional Collections Trust).

1971 – Comalco Aluminum Smelter opens at Tiwai Point. Around this time two Otago University students audit some of the excavated material for the first time.

1976 – Further radiocarbon dating is done on some of the excavated material.

2022 to early 2023 – Initial audit of the excavated material is done by Southland Museum and Art Gallery staff

2024 – Rio Tinto agree to fund project to proceed.

2025 – Tiwai Archaeological collections, including excavated material moves to Dunedin, where analysis will begin by the University of Otago.

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