Chatham Islands

The Chatham Islands are a remote New Zealand archipelago about 800 kilometers east of the South Island. Their isolation shaped distinctive ecosystems and Moriori and Māori histories.

Pitt Island: The second-largest island in the Chatham Islands archipelago, known in Māori as Rangiauria. Its rugged terrain and small settlements show the archipelago beyond its main island.
Moriori: The Indigenous Polynesian people of Rēkohu and the wider Chatham Islands. Moriori communities developed a distinct society in the archipelago before European arrival.
William R. Broughton: A British naval officer who reached the Chatham Islands aboard HMS Chatham in 1791. His visit gave the islands their European name and initiated sustained European contact.
Chatham Islands fishery: The commercial fishing sector based around the Chatham Islands and their surrounding waters. Fishing is a major source of employment and economic activity in the archipelago.
Auckland Islands: A subantarctic archipelago belonging to New Zealand, south of the South Island. They are another remote New Zealand island group, but lie far to the south rather than east.
Waitangi, Chatham Islands: The principal settlement and administrative center of the Chatham Islands, on Chatham Island. It is the hub for the archipelago’s government, services, and transport.
Māori: The Indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand and their descendants. Māori migration and settlement brought new communities to the islands in the nineteenth century.
HMS Chatham: The British naval vessel that visited the Chatham Islands in 1791 under William R. Broughton. The ship’s name became the European name for the archipelago.
Chatham Islands rock lobster: A commercially harvested rock lobster fishery in waters around the Chatham Islands. Its catch is one of the archipelago’s best-known seafood exports.
Kermadec Islands: A subtropical island group belonging to New Zealand, northeast of the North Island. Their position and climate contrast with the temperate, eastern Chatham Islands.

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Polynesian ratBroader topic: Polynesian rats were part of the introduced fauna affecting the archipelago’s ecosystems.