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Quick Facts - How was New Zealand formed?

Our planet is about 4.5 billion years old
For the purposes of explaining how New Zealand developed, let's just look at the last 600 million years..
 
    600 Million Years in 52 seconds and 6 Sentences
  • 600 million years ago, all the land on earth was part of one super continent 'Pangaea'.
  • 220 million years ago, Pangaea began to move and split into 'Laurasia' and 'Gondwana'.
  • 160 million years ago, Laurasia started to split creating northern continents, while Gondwana broke up creating southern including Africa & Australia
  • 120 million years ago, Australia and Africa separated, oceans & seas started to separate land masses.
  • 85 million years ago, New Zealand formed at the convergent boundary where Australian and Pacific plates met.
  • Today plates are still moving between 1 cm & 10 cm/year - and over the next 600 million years who knows what the continents will look like.
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This animation was found at...https://teara.govt.nz/en/evolution-of-plants-and-animals/page-1
Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand - Story by Matt McGlone, published 24 Sep 2007

 
If you are interested, there is a very good book "Physical Geology" Author: Steven Earle
This section on plate movement is easy to understand...Section:10.4 Plate-Boundary Processes
The complete book is ... available for free download here..."
 
Since first publishing this, I have received mail from those who dont agree with a 4.5 billion year old earth.
Jump down the page to my opinions on the "Creation Vs. Evolution" debate.

Bio-Diversity changes in New Zealand

New Zealand consists of two major islands - North Island 115,000 square kilometres and South Island 151,000 square kilometres.
Roughly 1,600 kilometres in length, with Stewart Island located 260 kilometers south of the South Island. There are other smaller islands or island groups around the coast that are (or were) ecological havens prior to human intervention. One of the areas of importance is the Chatham Islands, An archipeligo of 10 islands, about 800km east of NZ.
 
New Zealand is 2,240 kilometers from Australia, and has been a land apart for around 85 million years, when it split from Gondwana.
Due to New Zealand's isolation from continental land-masses, and that it was relatively unoccupied up to 1,000 years ago, New Zealand developed a high level of endemic biodiversity. Before human occupation there were no mammals apart from bats and marine species, and certainly no preditory mammals.
 
Ratites
There are around 40 current species of flightless birds around the world today, and New Zealand is home to more flightless birds than any other country.
Flightless birds are called 'ratites' and they are clearly different from other birds, easily identified by flat breastbones that lack a keel to anchor the strong pectoral muscles required for flight. Darwin predicted that all ratites were related and one part of the scientific community still argue this, however DNA evidence shows that most of the known Ratites split off from the general Avian gene pool about 90 to 70 million years ago, but the New Zealand Moa (and a few others) have divergance dates of around 45 million years. This evidence dispels the "All Ratites are related" theory as New Zealand was an island nation 85 odd million years ago,
and the evolution to flightless-ness(is that a word?) occured after New Zealand was no longer part of the great continent of Gondwana.
For most New Zealand birds, flight was not necessary, maybe even risky, with the only preditors coming from large and small flying birds. Before humans arrived, a quarter of all New Zealand birds were flightless. Many more were poor fliers, and as they did not need to be light enough to fly they grew, becoming larger than their flying relatives. The only self defence required was to be able to stay clear of flying predators, so camouflage, ground nesting, and the ability to 'freeze' when disturbed were the survival tools developed over millions of years. These defence tools made them easy prey for humans and the introduced Rats and Dogs.
 
The relationship between Moa and The Haast Eagle
Moa developed over 30 million years into 10 unique species. Each type of Moa was different in the adaptions they used to deal with the habitats they lived in. Weighing from 20 to 250kg, from up to 3m tall, they were present in all of New Zealand habitats from the alpine ranges to the marshy coastland. As our Moa developed, so did its main predator, the Haast Eagle.
This eagle was the largest on earth with a wing span of 3 meters and claws the size of modern day tigers. The Hasst Eagle went extinct about the same time it's main food source, the Moa, did (around 1,500 AD), however there are enough fossil records for us to see what she looked like.
 
There are three main pressures and drivers of biodiversity change
anywhere in the world on any definable ecosystem
  • Human activities & hunting
  • Predation by introduced predators,
  • Habitat modification
All landmasses, including New Zealand, have records of species extinctions for the millions of years prior to human occupation. This is normal, geological habitat changes, preditor development, food scarcity, and all this before we examine the ice ages and other climate changes that occured.
New Zealand however can show the specific damage caused by humans, given the land was empty of human prior to the Maori arriving 1,000 years ago, and strong fossil records to study.
 
In the 800 years before Europeans arrived in New Zealand, about 40 indigenous land and marine species have become extinct along with over 50 bird species. This appears to be wholly due to the occupation of New Zealand by the Maori since about 1250 AD.
There has also been considerable damage to the ecology since Europeans arrived, however again we have the ability to measure and track the damge caused.
The next section records bird extinctions between 1,000 AD and 1,800 AD

Bird Extinctions that occurred between 1,000 and 1,800 AD

Moa
There were ten unique types of Moa living around New Zealand when the Polynesians arrived. According to archalogical evidence, all Moa were extinct by AD 1500. New Zealand Birds Online report, "The main cause of extinction was overhunting by humans for food. Moa chicks may also have been eaten by the introduced Polynesian dog [Kurī]. Middens (dumps for domestic waste ) in the vicinity of the Waitaki River contained between 50,000 and as many as 90,000 bone sets for the Giant South Island Moa. The giant Moa bones were also carved and there are many examples in collections and museums around the world. Middens dating from the 13th century around the Wairoa River contained the bones of over 4,000 Eastern, and Broad Billed Moa. By 1,450 AD, 50% of the lowland forest and shrubbery of New Zealand had been burnt away, and this habitat destruction also contributed to the population reduction of Mao and other flightless birds.
 
North & South Island Goose
New Zealand Birds Online, "Due to their large size and flightlessness, they would have been an easy target for early Polynesian hunters. Their remains are widespread in midden deposits. They became extinct soon after Polynesians arrived.
 
New Zealand Swan
Judging by the presence of their bones in middens, New Zealand Swans were driven to extinction by the first Polynesian settlers before AD 1450 on the mainland and before AD 1650 on the Chatham Islands.
 
Finsch's Duck
Extinct by the 17th century
 
Chatham Duck
The species became extinct prehistorically through hunting. As it was large and flightless, the Chatham Duck would have been a good food source for the earliest Polynesian settlers on the Chatham Islands.
 
Scarlett's Duck
Scarlett's duck became extinct sometime after Polynesian arrival. It was hunted by Māori, and its nests were possibly susceptible to predation by the Polynesian Rat.
 
New Zealand Musk Duck
The New Zealand musk duck became extinct in prehistoric times, and so no records of live birds exist. One bone was found in a human food midden, and hunting for food by people is the most likely cause of its demise.
 
Chatham Merganser
The [Chatham merganser] became extinct in prehistoric times, and so no records of live birds exist. A few bones have been found in human food middens, and hunting for food by people is the most likely cause of the species’ demise
 
New Zealand Stiff Tailed Duck
The New Zealand [stiff-tailed] duck became extinct before European contact, and so no records of live birds exist. Hunting for food by humans is the most likely cause of its demise and the South Island bone may have been from a human food midden.
 
North & South Island Adzebill
These two species went extinct before European settlement. The presence of adzebill bones in middens indicates that early Polynesian settlers hunted the species, and this is the most likely cause of the bird's extinction.
 
North & South Island Adzebill
According to New Zealand Birds Online, these two species "...extinct before European settlement. The presence of adzebill bones in middens indicates that early Polynesian settlers hunted the species, and this is the most likely cause of the bird's extinction."
 
Snipe-Rail
Excavations of a stratified fossil bed at Lake Poukawa, Hawke's Bay showed that although previously common, snipe-rails were drastically reduced in numbers during the last 1000 years of the records. This decline coincided with [Māori] occupation of New Zealand and the vegetation of the site changing from podocarp forest to bracken and scrub, which suggests fires were lit about that time. The key factor, however, was probably the introduction of the Polynesian rat or kiore which might have attacked the adults but certainly would have destroyed the eggs and chicks of these birds, which were extinct by the time of European settlement.
 
Hodgens' Waterhen
According to the IUCN Red List, "This species likely became Extinct during the 17th century as a result of predation by rats and hunting by human settlers.
 
New Zealand Coot
The New Zealand coot became extinct in prehistoric times due to over-hunting by early [Māori]. Its bones are common in two archaeological middens in coastal Marlborough, where some coot bones were shaped into tools.
 
Chatham Coot
The Chatham Island coot became extinct in historic times because of over-hunting by man and possibly predation of eggs and chicks by the introduced [Polynesian] rat. Its bones are common in middens as well as natural deposits, indicating that it was frequently taken for food.
 
Forbes's Snipe
Forbes's snipe "are presumed to have been extirpated by [Polynesian] rats on Chatham Island between 1500 and 1800 A.D.
 
New Zealand Owlet-Nightjar
The New Zealand owlet-nightjar was probably extinct by the 13th [c]entury due to predation by the [Polynesian rat] introduced when Polynesian settlers first arrived about a thousand years ago.
 
Scarlett's Shearwater
Scarlett's shearwater "became extinct shortly after human settlement; breeding colonies may have been [overexploited] directly, and the small size of Scarlett’s shearwaters would have made eggs and chicks vulnerable to predation by the introduced [Polynesian] rat.
 
Waitaha Penguin
The presence of Waitaha penguin remains in archaeological contexts indicates that early Polynesian settlers hunted the species and that this, perhaps with additional predation pressure from [Polynesian rats] or [kurī] (Polynesian dogs), was a probable cause of its rapid extinction around 1500 AD
 
Chatham Penguin
The Chatham Islands were settled by Polynesians around 1450 AD and the Chatham penguin was probably hunted to extinction within 150–200 years.[65] It was almost certainly extinct before Europeans arrived in the Chatham Islands.[66] Other species of crested penguin (Eudyptes spp.) continue to visit the Chatham Islands today. A crested penguin captured in the Chatham Islands around 1871 or 1872 was probably a visiting member of another species in the genus, not a late-surviving example of the Chatham penguin
 
Eyles's Harrier
Eyles's harrier is "[t]hought to have [become] extinct in prehistoric times due to a combination of human-induced impacts. Its forest and shrubland habitat was burned off by humans and replaced with grassland, predation by introduced [Polynesian] rats probably caused a decline in its prey species, and hunting by humans is apparent from the presence of harrier bones in middens, and use of its bones to make tools. The [Polynesian] rat and [the] Polynesian dog [kurī] may have preyed on its chicks. Unlike the now-abundant swamp harrier, Eyles'[s] harrier was probably too heavy and small-winged for the gliding and soaring necessary to hunt productively over open grassland areas.
 
Haast's Eagle
Haasts Eagle is the largest Eagle described, weighing in at 18kg with a Wingspan of over 3m. A near complete skeleton, shows it had the feet and claws as big as a modern day tigers. Haast Eagle were large enough to attack human children as described by Maori Oral tradition. One study estimates the population reached 3,000 to 4,500 breeding pairs.
It became extinct 500-600 years ago, around the same time that all moa species became extinct. Overhunting of its moa prey by humans was probably the main cause of its extinction. Loss of habitat due to the burning of South Island dry mosaic forests and shrublands by humans may also have caused declines in its prey species. Haast's eagle may also have been hunted by humans because its bones, some of which had been worked into tools, have been found in middens. Two claimed sightings from the 1800s are unlikely to have been Haast's eagle.
 
Chatham Kākā
The species came extinct sometime between the 13th and 16th centuries CE, possibly as a result of habitat loss, hunting pressure, and Polynesian rat predation following the initial Polynesian settlement of the Chatham Islands
 
North Island & South Island stout-legged Wren
Extinct after Māori settlement but before European contact.
 
Long-billed Wren
Extinct shortly after Māori settlement.[80] According to New Zealand Birds Online, "Its flightlessness and probable ground-nesting habits would have made it easy prey for the [Polynesian] rat.
 
New Zealand Raven
According to New Zealand Birds Online, the New Zealand raven "became extinct before European contact. The presence of bone remains in midden sites shows that they were eaten by humans, and they may have been impacted by the rapid extirpation of mainland seal and seabird colonies following human arrival.
 
Chatham Raven
The Chatham Raven "became extinct after Moriori settled on the Chatham Islands, and before European contact. The presence of raven bone remains in midden sites shows that they were eaten by humans. However, it is equally likely that extinction of the Chatham Raven was part of a trophic cascade of effects caused by humans on the Chatham Islands, as the once enormous colonies of seals and seabirds they relied on were destroyed by over-hunting.
 

Creation Vs. Evolution

I first realised the importance of this subject during 2014 YouTube session where Bill Nye and Ken Ham debated
"Whether creation is a viable model of origins in the modern scientific era".
 
The debate probably did not really change the mindset of anyone who had an opinion, however it publicised the VERY polarised views of these two factions.
During the live debate there were over 500,000 viewers and I read somewhere that subsequent viewing on YouTube exceeded 1 million views (check accuracy ?).
 
There was a live blog during the debate and one entry is worth repeating given this topic....:
      As a Christian I will say this:   My faith does not require me to believe in the age of the earth as outlined in the Bible.
      Christ commanded me to love and that is where all Christians need to focus.
      Discussing how many fairies can dance on the head of a pin, is a distraction.

 
The Creationism Vs Evolution debate is decades old and will probably continue ad infinitum
Moses Maimonides, (or Rabbi Moses ben Maimon 1135-1204 Philosopher Physician) is reported to have written...
"conflicts between science and the Bible arise from either a lack of scientific knowledge or a defective understanding of the Bible" (Schroeder, 1997).
{gwm: while this is a great one-liner, I have yet to find an acknowledged reference to support that Rabbi Mainmon actually wrote this - can anyone elaborate on this??}
 
If you are a creationist, that is fine with me. It is your choice to read my stuff or not, but please take your soap box to another street corner....
 
I am not a scientist, or an academic in any real sense of the word, I see myself as a reasonably read person who asks a lot of questions, and
I simply cannot accept literal biblical acounts of a 6,000 year old Earth, or a 7 day creation.
 
I quote my truths where ever I find them, (including Snoopy, if you have read any Richard Bach ?),
and, as a final note in this segment, a verbatim quote from 'Chris Clowes', the owner of a very informative web site peripatus.gen.nz
Chris states: ....let me nail my colours to the mast immediately:
Evolution is an evidence-based scientific theory which has been probed and tested - not to say attacked - methodically and determinedly for 150 years.
It has always been vindicated.
Even if we do not yet have every answer to every question, it provides the theoretical underpinning to technologies as diverse as petroleum exploration and epidemiology."
It is demonstrably and spectacularly successful.

 
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