When settling in Aotearoa, early Māori found many plants that were similar in appearance to the plants from their Pacific home. The Kava plant found in the polynesian islands was one such plant. They named the species found in Aotearoa, Kawakawa.
Kawakawa, Judi Lapsley Miller/CC BY 4.0. Kavakava, Kristina Adams/CC BY-NC 4.0, sourced from iNaturalistNZ.
