The complete skeleton of a pre-European Maori dog has been found in an archaeological excavation of ground under the Matheson family's old home in Levers Rd.
The rare discovery was unearthed during a dig by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
Now the trust has asked Tauranga ratepayers to fund another two-weeks'
excavation costing $24,000 - work regarded as vital to properly interpret the reserve.
The house sat on land originally occupied by Tauranga's principal Maori pa, the Otumoetai Pa - one of the most important sites in the history of Tauranga.
Demolition of the house among a stand of native trees was a condition imposed on Tauranga City Council when it bought the 2ha property last year.
An exploratory week-long excavation of the top layer of ground exposed by the demolition of the house has revealed the site was intensively occupied in the past.
Last month's work was funded by the trust using 20 volunteers supervised by a professional archaeologist.
Archaeologist Ken Phillips showed yesterday's council annual plan hearing a variety of small pre-European and post-European artefacts excavated from the site, including a pre-16th century one-piece fish hook, a chipped bone pendant and part of an adze.
The dog, not shown, was the size of a small terrier. It was unusual in that it was buried completely intact - Maori usually used the jaw bones of dogs for fish hooks.
Trust spokeswoman Dr Rachel Darmody said they would continue to rely on volunteers for the excavation, supervised by a core of professionals. A lot of the cost was in analysing the artefacts.
Dr Darmody said $24,000 was still a very cheap excavation.
Once archaeologists have finished digging, the land will become an open historic reserve. The pa featured prominently in the pre-European and early settler histories of the district.
The Historic Places Trust, in a separate submission, has asked the council to remit rates on conservation land. It argued that owners often found it costly to preserve old buildings for the benefit of future generations. And the presence of a significant archaeological site may have the effect of inhibiting full economic use of the land.
The trust said it was appropriate in both cases for the council to encourage preservation and promotion of heritage by providing rates relief.
The council will consider the rates remission and funding application on May 17.
The complete skeleton of a pre-European Maori dog has been found in an archaeological excavation of ground under the Matheson family's old home in Levers Rd.
The rare discovery was unearthed during a dig by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
Now the trust has asked Tauranga ratepayers to fund another two-weeks'
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