BLOG 9: How does genetic research illuminate the ancestral origins of the Māori people in New Zealand?

When the first Europeans arrived in New Zealand, they referred to the existing inhabitants as “New Zealanders.” As more Europeans settled in the country, confusion arose over how to distinguish between the original European arrivals and the prior settled population. To resolve this, the newcomers began calling the prior settled people “Maoris,” while referring to themselves as “Pakeha”.

Paul Tito, Maori Rugby Player

Today the Māori population exhibits significant physical diversity, with variations in skin tone, hair colour, and facial features. This means there is no singular "typical" Māori appearance, and individuals can vary greatly within the population due to intermarriage and geographical differences across iwi (tribes) throughout New Zealand. Some Māori may have darker skin tones, while others may have lighter complexions. The population also displays a range of hair colours, from dark brown to blonde and even red, reflecting the diverse genetic heritage.

Today maybe 40% of the New Zealand population have some level of Māori ancestry and by choice regard themselves either as Māori or New Zealand European or a New Zealander. Genetic studies provide a far better way to identify the origin of people.

Genetic studies of Māori people aim to trace their heritage, utilizing markers such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and the Y chromosome. Both are inherited in a haploid manner, meaning they are passed down relatively unchanged from one generation to the next, though through different lineages—mtDNA from the mother and the Y chromosome from the father.

Mitochondrial and Y Chromosome Inheritance

Mitochondrial and Y Chromosome Inheritance

Genetic studies on Māori ancestry show the following trends:  Reference: Underhill P.A. et al. Maori Origins, Y-Chromosome Haplotypes and Implications for Human History in the Pacific, Human Mutation 17:271-280 (2001). A summary of findings follows:

• Male Ancestry (Y-Chromosome):

  • Māori men have a mix of backgrounds: about 40% have European roots, 40% have Melanesian roots, and the rest have East Asian or mixed origins.

  • This shows that Māori paternal ancestry is quite diverse.

    
    

• Female Ancestry (mtDNA):

  • Most Māori women (85%) share a genetic marker typical of Southeast Asian populations, showing their maternal ancestry is mostly Southeast Asian.

  • The remaining 15% have European maternal ancestry.

  • This means Māori maternal ancestry is much more uniform compared to paternal ancestry.

    
    

• Geographic Origins:

  • The male ancestry data suggests Māori ancestors came from different places and mixed over time, especially from Melanesia and Southeast Asia.

  • The female ancestry data supports the idea that Māori people mostly came from Southeast Asia in a rapid migration.

In short: Māori men have ancestors from Europe, Melanesia, and East Asia, while Māori women mostly have Southeast Asian ancestry, with some European ancestry. This points to a complex history for men and a more uniform history for women.

These findings support the idea that people migrated from the Southeast Asia and New Guinea regions to Polynesia, and eventually to New Zealand. Equally, they support the idea, migration could have occurred directly from Southeast Asia and New Guinea to New Zealand. The presence of Europeans within the Māori population is the result of generations of intermarriage between Māori and European communities.

New Zealand’s first settlers seem more diverse and mixed than is popularly thought. Read the next blog in the series: BLOG 10A: What are the connections between Māori and Southeast Asian languages? Does this provide more clues to who were New Zealand’s first settlers?