The first production of resin from Agathis spp. was in New Zealand. This was largely the harvest of a so-called fossil gum dug out of the ground, mainly in the Northern Peninsula of the North Island, a region where A. australis occurs (see following section on fossil resins). The New Zealand resin industry reached its peak in 1905 when some 11 000 tonnes were recovered. By 1924, production had declined to 7 000 tonnes and finally ceased in 1950. New Zealand’s "gum lands" are estimated to have yielded a total of 500 000 tonnes of raw material (Whitmore 1980). Today, resin production in New Zealand is of historic interest only.