Kauri gum reserves

Kauri gum reserves

The Kauri Gum Industry Act 1898 created kauri gum reserves. These areas covered around 100,000 hectares and were exclusively for the use of British subjects (including Māori). A licensing system was also introduced. The regulations were partly aimed at restricting Dalmatian diggers. As a result, Dalmatians shifted their focus, and many made arrangements with private landowners, paying a rental for the right to dig gum.