The earliest people of New Zealand were the

• A. Aborigines
• B. Polynesians
• C. Europeans
• D. Maoris

Answer: (D)

The idea here is who first settled New Zealand. The earliest inhabitants were Polynesian navigators who reached New Zealand by sea and, over time, formed a distinct culture known today as the Māori. The Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand, meaning they are the descendants of those initial settlers who arrived in the 13th century and developed unique language, customs, and social structures. While Polynesians describe the wider group that explored many Pacific islands, the people who established continuous communities in New Zealand are identified as Māori. Aborigines refer to Indigenous Australians, and Europeans arrived later, so the best match for “earliest people of New Zealand” is Māori.