Flax in New Zealand facts for kids
New Zealand flax refers to two common plants from New Zealand: Phormium tenax and Phormium colensoi. The Māori people call them harakeke and wharariki. Even though they are called 'flax', they are very different from the flax plant found in other parts of the world, like Europe.
These plants grow naturally in New Zealand. P. tenax is also found on Norfolk Island. Both types of New Zealand flax have been very important to the Māori people and later European settlers in New Zealand. They played a big role in the culture and economy of the country.
Today, these plants are grown all over the world in places with mild climates. People use them as pretty garden plants. Some are also grown for their strong fibers.
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Traditional Māori Uses of Flax
Māori people used many plants for textiles. But harakeke and wharariki were the most important. This was because they were easy to find and had long, strong strands. You could also make different widths of fiber from them.
Making Textiles and Clothes
Māori traditional textiles Captain James Cook saw how Māori used flax. He wrote that they made all their everyday clothes from flax leaves. They also made strings, ropes, and fishing nets. Māori were very skilled at weaving flax fibers into cloaks.
Māori used flax for many things, not just weaving. They knew almost 60 different types of flax! They even grew their own flax gardens. To get the fiber, they cut leaves near the plant's base. They used sharp mussel shells or special greenstone rocks. Then, they scraped off the green, fleshy part of the leaf. This left the strong fiber.
The fiber went through many steps. It was washed, bleached, softened, dyed, and dried. This soft flax fiber is called muka. It was carefully washed and pounded to make it soft for the skin. It was hard to dye flax fibers. But a special iron-rich mud called paru could dye the fabric black.
The muka fibers were used to make beautiful cloaks. These included the famous feather cloaks (kahu huruhuru). Different cloaks were decorated with colorful feathers. These came from native birds like the kiwi, kaka (parrot), tui, huia, and kereru (woodpigeon).
Tools and Everyday Items
Māori used flax fibers of different strengths. They made eel traps (hinaki) and large fishing nets (kupenga). They also made fishing lines, bird snares, and ropes. Baskets (kete), bags, mats, and sandals (paraerae) were also made from flax. They even made buckets and cooking tools.
The handmade flax ropes were incredibly strong. They were used to tie together parts of large canoes (waka). These canoes could travel across the ocean. With these canoes, Māori used huge fishing nets. Some nets were over one thousand meters long! They were woven from green flax. Stone weights and light wood floats helped them work. Hundreds of men were needed to pull them in.
Flax was also used for boat rigging, sails, and anchor ropes. It made roofs for houses too. The ends of flax leaves were frayed to make torches for light at night. The light, dried flower stalks were tied together. This made river rafts called mokihi.
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Māori stone pestle for flax fibers
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Flax fibers (muka)
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Maori woman wearing the traditional costume made of flax fibre, c. 1880
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Photo of Rewi Manga Maniapoto in a flax cloak, 1879
Medical Uses
For hundreds of years, Māori used the sweet liquid (nectar) from flax flowers. They used it as medicine and to sweeten food. Boiled and crushed flax roots were put on the skin. This helped with boils, swelling, and skin sores. The juice from pounded roots was a disinfectant. It was also taken to help with constipation or to get rid of worms.
Pounded flax leaves were used as bandages for wounds. The sticky liquid (sap) from flax has special qualities. It helps blood clot and stops germs. This helps wounds heal. It also acts as a mild pain reliever. Māori put the sap on boils, wounds, aching teeth, and skin problems. They also used it for burns.
Flax flower stalks and leaves were used to make splints for broken bones. Fine muka fibers were used to stitch wounds. The gel from flax helped stop bleeding. Flax was used like modern bandages and casts for broken bones.
Scientists have studied flax. They found chemicals in it that fight fungus and reduce swelling. They also found natural laxatives.
Flax in Defence
During the Musket Wars and New Zealand Wars, Māori used flax for protection. They made thick, woven flax mats. These covered the entrances and lookout holes of their forts (pā). Some warriors wore coats made of heavily woven Phormium tenax. These coats were like medieval padded armor. They could slow down musket balls, making injuries less deadly.
Later Uses of Flax
By the early 1800s, people around the world knew about the strong ropes made from New Zealand flax. The British Royal Navy was a big customer. The flax trade grew quickly. Māori men started helping with harvesting and processing flax. This work was traditionally done by women.
Māori traded flax for muskets and ammunition. Many moved to swampy areas where flax grew. They sometimes focused so much on flax that they didn't grow enough food. The demand for flax also led to more people being forced to work.
A big flax industry grew. The fibers were used for ropes, twine, mats, and carpets. At first, people harvested wild flax. But soon, flax farms were started. By 1851, there were three flax plantations.
In 1870, a government report looked at the flax industry. It listed up to 24 different types of flax. Many had different names in different regions. People have also looked into using flax fiber to make paper. But today, only artists use it for handmade papers.
Flax Mills
– Photograph taken by Gilmour Brothers
G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington
From the 1860s, there was a busy industry harvesting and processing flax for export. It reached its peak in 1916. About 32,000 tons of flax were exported that year. But the worldwide economic downturn in the 1930s caused the trade to almost stop. In 1963, there were still 14 flax mills. They produced almost 5,000 tons of fiber each year. The last flax mill closed in 1985.
In 1860, the first machine for processing flax was patented. It could process a ton of leaves a day. It produced about 200 kg of fiber. Many people invented their own flax-stripping machines. The basic design was simple. Leaves were fed between rollers. Then, iron beaters hit them. These beaters spun faster than the rollers. This stripped the outer layer from the fiber.
When flax was in high demand, it was very profitable. In 1870, one acre of flax could produce two tons of fiber a year. This could bring in a good profit.
New machines were quickly adopted. In 1867, there were 15 flax mills. By 1874, there were 110. Some sources say there were 161 mills by 1870. They employed 1,766 people. Machines could produce much more fiber than hand stripping. By 1868, machines could make about 250 kg per day. Hand stripping only made about 1 kg per day. By 1910, machines could make 1.27 tons a day.
Flax leaves were cut, bundled, and taken to the mill. They went through a stripping machine. The slimy fiber was washed. The muka was then hung to dry. About ten days later, the muka was processed again and pressed into bales for export. Some mills also made ropes for local use.
Flax production was highest between 1901 and 1918. But problems like plant diseases and the Great Depression caused most mills to close by the 1930s. Also, many flax swamps were turned into pastures for farming.
Mills were powered by water wheels or steam engines. Fires were a big risk for flax mills. In 1890, a report said that many fires in flax fields were due to carelessness. Mills also burned down.
By 1890, 3,198 people worked in the flax industry. But their average pay was low. There were also many accidents where workers got caught in machines. At first, unions were not allowed. But new laws and the growth of unions helped improve pay and working conditions. By 1913, a worker could earn 11 shillings and 3 pence for a ten-hour day.
Images for kids
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Waipapakauri steam-powered flax mill in 1906 [http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/HeritageImages/index.htm AWNS-19061108-16-1
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A worker harvesting green flax leaves with a sickle
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Linton steam-powered flaxmill after fire in 1911 AWNS-19111019-11-1
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George Rutherford built a flax mill beside Kaitoke Creek, Raglan, in the early 1900s. This boiler was placed beside the boardwalk in 2008
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