New Zealand shore whaling began in 1829 and continued until populations collapsed around the 1950s.
Tongueing was the New Zealand practice of taking a crew of Maori to assist whaling outfits in towing and cutting in a whale. American whaling companies especially appreciated the additional labor, language interpretation, and opportunity to trade supplies that were provided by the tonguers. After the work was done, tonguers were given the carcass and tongue of the whale, which could still be boiled down for "6 or 8 more barrels of oil". The practice is also mentioned in Soon May The Wellerman Come.