This thesis attempts to outline changes in traditional societies, with particular reference to the Maori of Northland, that are related to the introduction of a metal technology. The possibility of recognising such changes from archaeological data is explored. Chapter One comprises a discussion of the comparative efficiency and effectiveness of metal and non-metal tools. Data from archaeological experiments and ethnographic accounts are used for this purpose. To illustrate the differences between a non-metal and a metal technology and the changes that accrue from the introduction of the latter, ethnographic and ethnohistorical accounts of the impact of metals on other societies are put forward in Chapter Two. Chapters Three and Four present a review of the prehistoric economy, technology and settlement patterns in Northland, so that the extent and nature of changes that occurred during the protohistoric period may be assessed. In Chapter Five, the conditions under which the Maori obtained metal tools are outlined in order to elicit the changing Maori attitudes toward, and evaluation of, particular metal items. Chapters Six and Seven review the changes that occurred in Northland during the protohistoric period, principally between 1803 and 1840. Prior to 1803, the quanity of metal in Maori hands was insufficient to effect changes in their way of life, and there is little evidence to suggest that they altered their traditional activities because of a desire to obtain metal goods. After 1840, many Maori had had [sic] such prolonged contact with Europeans that it would be difficult to attribute any changes in Maori society solely to the introduction of a metal technology. Chapter Eight discusses the archaeological implications of the impact of introduced metals and offers propositions that may be evaluated in the light of new archaeological data.