Many new technologies require the development of infrastructure. From the earliest days of human settlement in New Zealand, people have transformed the landscape with construction and infrastructure. By building terraces, trenches and palisades, early Maori constructed fortified Villages (Pa), protecting their food, land and people from other tribes. They also developed walking tracks and portage routes for transporting waka between different waterways.
However, with the arrival of European settlers this level of infrastructure increased dramatically as walking tracks became roads, railway lines brought trains to isolated areas and telegraph cables allowed the spread of high-speed communication. Developments in subsequent decades has led to urban sprawl, increased travel and widespread communication services.
The technology of infrastructure is the basis of many daily activities performed by New Zealanders today. Discover how it has assisted the development of other technologies, altering landscapes, societies and lives in the process.
