A claim has been made (opens new window) by Noel Hilliam that European settlers beat Maori to settling NZ, and that reconstruction of skulls from a woman and man have shown that they originated in Wales and the Mediterranean, respectively. The woman had blue eyes and blonde hair, and the

Although the article has since been removed, there's a cache (opens new window).

There are several red flags in the article.

Firstly, the pathologist (from London) and forensic expert (from Edinburgh University) who performed the analysis (including facial reconstruction) from skulls have decided to remain anonymous. The given explanation is to avoid backlash, but of course this anonymity also ensures a lack of critical questioning about the methods used, assumptions made, etc.

The "research" also resulted in a book, rather than any academic papers - another red flag. We often see creationists, for example, skipping academia and peer review to get their ideas directly in the hands of the public by publishing sensationalist books.

Hilliam said:

"There seems to be an official policy to hide information which could dispute the accepted line that Maori were the first to settle in this country,"

In a weird twist, it looks like the skulls may have been taken illegally (opens new window) from burial sites (opens new window):