Important
Mana whenua refers to iwi and hapū who have these rights in Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai, Lower Hutt.
Who are Mana whenua
Mana whenua are Māori who have historic and territorial rights over the land.
The tribe's history and legends are based in the lands they have occupied over generations and the land provides the sustenance for the people and to provide hospitality for guests.
Mana whenua interests are represented by five iwi (tribal) authorities and two marae in Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai, Lower Hutt.
Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika Trust is a Post Settlement Governance Entity (PSGE), established under the Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika) Claims Settlement Act 2009 and the associated Deed of Settlement.
The trustees of the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust represent the interest of the descendants of tribes living in the Wellington Harbour area at the time of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (6 February 1840) that originated from the Taranaki region of the North Island. These iwi include Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Tama, Taranaki Tūturu, Ngāti Ruanui, and other iwi from the Taranaki area (for example, Ngāti Mutunga). The collective name given to these iwi is Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika (Taranaki Whānui).
The Rūnanga is the mandated iwi authority for Ngāti Toa Rangatira and is the administrative body of iwi estates and assets. The Rūnanga deals with the political and public issues of national interest such as Treaty of Waitangi claims, commercial and customary fisheries, health services including primary mental health and residential care services, local government relationships and resource and environmental management.
The Wellington Tenths Trust is an Ahu Whenua (Lands) Trust constituted by the Māori Land Court Order of 16 December 2003, pursuant to Section 244 of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, which varied the original Trust Deed of 1977, and the subsequent variation of Deed made on 17 July 1996.
The Trust was established to administer Māori Reserve lands, largely in urban Wellington, although it also administers a rural block in Kaitoke, Upper Hutt. The Trust owns a total of 81 hectares of land.
The Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust is an Ahu Whenua (Lands)Trust constituted by the Māori Land Court under Section 244 of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993. This Trust originated through an act of the Crown in 1866. Governor Grey exchanged Te Ātiawa land interests in Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt, with a block of land which is now part of central Palmerston North.
Hīkoikoi Management Limited is the administrative arm for the Wellington Tenths Trust and Palmerston North Maori Reserve Trust and has offices at Hīkoikoi, 24d Marine Parade, Petone, and Te Wharewaka o Poneke, 2 Taranaki Street, Wellington.
Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa ki Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui Incorporated represents Te Āti Awa as an iwi-based organisation in Te Whanganui a Tara. Te Rūnanganui have particular regard to the cultural, social and economic aspirations of whānau and hapū tribal members of Te Āti Awa and other Taranaki Māori tribal members, and all other Māori including members of the general public who reside in the areas of Wellington and the Hutt Valley.