Whakapapa is the foundation of Māori identity. It connects people to their ancestors, their land, and their place in the world. If you or your family originate from Aotearoa New Zealand, enter a town, city, or region to discover which iwi hold mana whenua (authority of the land) in that place.
Quick search by region:
Genealogy
Whakapapa is the layering of one generation upon another — the complete genealogical record connecting a person to their ancestors, their iwi, their land, and ultimately to the origins of the universe. It is not merely a family tree. It is a living system of knowledge that determines identity, rights, and responsibilities.
Tribe
An iwi is a large tribal grouping, typically named after a founding ancestor. Each iwi has a defined rohe (territorial area), a waka (ancestral canoe), and a network of hapū (sub-tribes) and marae (meeting house complexes). Knowing your iwi is knowing where you come from and where you belong.
Territory
The rohe is the geographic territory of an iwi — the land, rivers, mountains, and coastline over which they hold mana whenua (authority of the land). Rohe boundaries were established through whakapapa, warfare, and negotiation over centuries. They remain legally and culturally significant today.
Most Māori iwi trace their whakapapa to one of the great voyaging canoes that brought their ancestors from Hawaiki — the ancestral homeland — to Aotearoa. These waka are not merely historical vessels. They are the foundation of tribal identity, connecting living people to the navigators who crossed the Pacific centuries ago.
Tainui
Waikato, Auckland, Manawatū
Te Arawa
Bay of Plenty, Rotorua
Mātaatua
Bay of Plenty, East Coast
Kurahaupō
Northland, Manawatū, Nelson
Tākitimu
Hawke's Bay, South Island
Tokomaru
Taranaki, Wellington
Horouta
East Coast, Gisborne
Māmari
Northland
This tool provides a starting point for understanding which iwi hold mana whenua in a given location. Iwi boundaries are complex, overlapping, and subject to ongoing negotiation. Multiple iwi may hold interests in the same area. This information is drawn from publicly available sources including Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand and Statistics NZ. For genealogical research, contact your iwi directly, or use Te Ara, Ancestry.com, or the New Zealand Genealogy Society. For legal or resource management purposes, consult the relevant iwi authority directly.