900 AD is the date that was taught in NZ schools for most of the 20th century, but these days it's considered much too early. Studies from various sources - arc

900 AD is the date that was taught in NZ schools for most of the 20th century, but these days it's considered much too early. Studies from various sources - archaeology, genetics, and careful analysis of Maori oral tradition - are largely in agreement now that the first Polynesian settlers arrived around 1250 AD, give or take a few decades.