Te Papa curator of vertebrates Alan Tennyson said the coastal area around Kai Iwi and up to Hāwera was one of the richest areas in the country for finding moa remains.
He said the fossils Hair had discovered were very valuable to academics.
“Fossils of this age are about 1 million years old and that’s an unusual time period, not only for New Zealand fossils but for fossils worldwide.”
Collectors in South Taranaki were uncovering 3-million-year-old fossils, and the 2 million year time difference between their fossils and Hair’s allowed scientists to look for evolutionary changes.
Academics relied on amateur hunters to discover fossils because of the time it took to regularly hunt for them, he said.
“Finding bones is quite something, and these guys like Zane have been making some pretty amazing finds.”
Kai Iwi Beach Holiday Park owner Bruce Taylor said they had built a strong community of fossil hunters in Whanganui.
“You spend a lot more time looking than you do finding, especially when it comes to the big ticket items like moa bones.”
Taylor found a fossilised seal skull on Kai Iwi Beach that was now housed in Te Papa.
He said he wanted to do more educational school camps to inspire the next generation of fossil hunters.
Hair said it was important for amateur fossil collectors to be aware of the dangers of the cliffs around Kai Iwi Beach.
“I’ve been walking down there and cliffs have fallen, it sounds like claps of thunder. You can’t outrun it, you’re dead.”
Tennyson said ownership of fossils came down to land ownership, so on private farmland and Department of Conservation land they were not publicly available.
On coastal beaches, there was no clear ownership.
“Iwi interests cover the entire country so it’s always good to be in consultation.”
