The Ngāi Tahu nation is made up of 61,500 whānau members all across the motu, and 8,700 whānau members beyond the shores of the motu, with a total Ngāi Tahu population of 70,200 as at July 2021.

Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori iwi (tribe) of the South Island. Its takiwā (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Point in the north to Stewart Island / …

Ngāi Tahu means “people of Tahu” and all registered tribal members can trace their ancestry back to the tribe’s founder Tahu Pōtiki. Whakapapa speaks to more than our relationships with each other; it links us with the land, the sea, the environment, our world and our universe.

Ngāi Tahu are a resilient, entrepreneurial people who made Te Waipounamu their home over 800 years ago. Ngāi Tahu tīpuna were long-distance seafarers, riding the ocean currents and navigating by stars on voyaging waka from Hawaiki Nui.

Ngāi Tahu trace their tribal identity back to Paikea, who lived in the Polynesian homeland of Hawaiki. To escape being killed at sea by his brother, he came to New Zealand on the back of a whale. Ngāi Tahu share this ancestor with the Ngāti Porou people.

The Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu population includes all people of Māori descent who gave Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu as their iwi or as one of several iwi. 2013: 54,819 people, or 8.2 percent of the total population of Māori descent, affiliated with Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu.

Migrating from the North Island’s East Coast, Ngāi Tahu thrived in the South Island. They intermarried with local tribes, and adopted their beliefs. Their lands cover much of Te Wai Pounamu – the South Island – and are New Zealand’s largest single tribal territory.

Ngāi Tahu have the largest geographic region of all iwi (people) in New Zealand. Its boundaries span from near Blenheim to the bottom of Stewart Island (Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu Act, 1996). The 2013 Census figures show that over half of Ngāi Tahu tribal members live outside of the tribal area (Statistics New Zealand, 2014).

Aug 21, 2017 · This scoping report will identify the issues Ngāi Tahu tribal members experience when seeking accurate information that informs individuals of their pepeha and supports their ability to engage appropriately at Māori events and to self-identify themselves and their marae (Ancestral building).

Mar 21, 2024 · Ngai Tahu are the iwi comprising Ngai Tahu whanui; that is, the collective of the individuals who descend from the five primary hapu of Ngai Tahu, Ngati Mamoe and Waitaha, namely Kati Kuri, Ngati Irakehu, Kati Huirapa, Ngai Tuahuriri and Ngai Te Ruahikihiki.