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Sealers were the first European commercial operators to arrive in New Zealand in large numbers, beginning in the 1790s, particularly in Fiordland and Rakiura (Stewart Island). Their presence was often short-term and exploitative, focused on extracting as many sealskins as possible.
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Whalers followed soon after, with both ship-based and shore-based stations established by the early 1800s, especially along the east coast of the South Island, including Cloudy Bay, Otago, and Banks Peninsula.
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These industries brought Māori and Pākehā into close and sustained contact, leading to significant social, cultural, and economic exchange.
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Māori quickly became deeply involved in whaling: working on ships and shore stations, trading food and goods, and forming intermarriage relationships, particularly between Māori women and European men.
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These relationships led to the formation of bicultural communities, especially around whaling stations.
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Māori were often strategic participants in these early economies, using their involvement to access tools, weapons, and trade networks.
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By 1840, whaling was a major industry and one of the most important avenues of contact between Māori and Europeans prior to formal colonisation.
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/pre-1840-contact/sealers-and-whalers