Early measurement in Māori culture was based on the human body, especially the fingers and arms. Using these measurements, one could describe the girth of a tree, the size of a fish, the length of a canoe or the height and width of a new building. This way of measuring was used in building whare (houses), whakairo (carving), raranga (weaving) and tā (tattooing).
 

A designated person within each Iwi could be used as the ‘standard measure’, this job often fell to an ariki (high ranking chief). There is evidence from East coast Iwi that the arm-span measurements of particular people were recorded on a rauru (measuring stick or twine) which was used for building whare.
 

The name of this person would then be recorded in the history of that whare. These rauru were often considered taonga (treasure) and were handed down over multiple generations.