The manuka tree (leptospermum scoparium) grows abundantly on the slopes of hills, at the edge of forests and in coastal areas.
Manuka is a native plant indigenous to New Zealand.
Since Maori arrived in Aotearoa (the land of the long white cloud - the name given by our ancestors to present day New Zealand) over 1,000 years ago, we have valued the many uses that this humble native plant has provided. Not only was it used for medicinal uses; it was also valued, once fire-hardened, as a fighting staff. [Tamahae a fighting chief of Te Whanau a Apanui was famous for his fighting prowess and his use of a manuka fighting staff. This weapon is held by a descendant of the Chief and has pride of place in their home in Te Kaha]
When Lieutenant James Cook explored New Zealand in 1769 he brewed the leaves of the manuka tree and made a form of tea.
Interestingly for much of the 20th century the manuka tree was considered a weed and was cleared from the hills to enable farmers to grow pasture for their sheep and cattle. With the returns for cattle and sheep becoming marginal especially on land owned by Maori in the isolated areas of the Bay of Plenty and the East Coast income from renting land to bee keepers for their hives is growing as a viable alternative source of income.