The ko is likened to the hoe, and is the best known and most widely used of all Māori agricultural tools. Used mainly as a soil loosening tool, it had various shapes and lengths, and was made from a variety of woods, dependent on the nature of the soil and the requirements of the user.
The ko was used with the teka (foot tread) as a spade to mull up refractory earth, and without the teka, to loosen earth in post holes. Some ko were elaborately carved for ceremonial purposes, and used by tohunga (experts) to conduct the various rituals pertaining to planting.