Māori Culture in Wellington
What Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Pōneke mean, waka and walking tours, Te Papa, marae, places to visit and the iwi of the harbour.
Wellington sits around Te Whanganui-a-Tara, the great harbour of Tara, home to Taranaki Whānui, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Muaūpoko. Here’s where to experience Māori culture in Wellington: waka and walking tours, taonga in Te Papa and the museums, places to visit, marae, events, the iwi, te reo classes and what the names mean.
Wellington in Māori: Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Pōneke
Wellington has two Māori names in everyday use. Te Whanganui-a-Tara means “the great harbour of Tara”. Wellington City Council says the name comes from Tara, son of Whātonga, who was sent from Māhia Peninsula by his father to explore southern lands for their people to settle. Pōneke is the other: Te Ara describes it as the Māori name for Port Nicholson, the early name for Wellington, and the Te Aka Māori Dictionary lists it as a loanword. Both are used today.
Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui
“The head of Māui’s fish”, the earliest known name for Wellington, from the legend of Māui fishing up the North Island.
Matiu and Mākaro
Somes and Ward islands, named by Kupe. Wellington City Council says they are named after two of Kupe’s nieces; Te Ara says his daughters.
Te Aro
Elsdon Best explained Te Aro as “the face” or “the front”, the pā facing Taranaki maunga, where its people came from.
Tangi te Keo
Mt Victoria, named for the bird-spirit of the taniwha Whātaitai, which mourned (tangi) on the summit.
How to say it: Pōneke has a macron on the ō, which makes it a long vowel. Hear both names in the Te Aka Māori Dictionary: Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Pōneke.
Ways to experience Māori culture in Wellington
Take a waka or walking tour from the waterfront, see taonga at Te Papa and the museums, explore places of significance at your own pace, or join in. Check with each operator for dates and prices.
Experiences and museums
Te Wharewaka o Pōneke Tours
Walking tours, waka tours and harbour cruises that share the stories of Te Whanganui-a-Tara from a Te Āti Awa / Taranaki Whānui perspective. The City to Sea walk is from $45 and Hidden Māori Treasures, past Te Aro Pā, from $55. The two-hour guided waka tour on the harbour is from $115.
Book or find out moreTe Papa Tongarewa
Mana Whenua celebrates Māori as tangata whenua, and He Toi Whakairo shows more than 140 carvings spanning seven centuries, until August 2031. Free for New Zealanders; international visitors 16 and over pay $35. The Māori Highlights Tour runs at 1pm, from $50.
What’s on at Te PapaTe Herenga Waka Marae
The university marae runs one-hour public tours of the marae and Ngā Mokopuna, booked through Eventfinda. They cost $10 per person, and the money goes back to the marae.
Tour times and bookingWellington Museum
Ngā Heke shows the museum’s most prized taonga, Te Whanganui a Tara, with work by Māori artists and poets, and A Millennium Ago tells Māori creation stories with theatrical illusion. Free general admission.
Find out moreHe Tohu
The exhibition holds three founding documents: He Whakaputanga (1835), Te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840) and the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition. Open 9am to 5pm weekdays and 9am to 1pm Saturdays, and open on Waitangi Day.
Visit He TohuPātaka Art + Museum
Porirua’s art museum, with free admission. Exhibitions change through the year, so check what’s on before you go.
What’s on at PātakaNuku Tewhatewha at The Dowse
A pātaka whakairo (carved storehouse) commissioned by Wiremu Tako Ngātata and built in 1856 under the guidance of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa carver Te Heuheu Tukino IV. It is one of several buildings made in support of the Kīngitanga, and the only one that survives intact.
About Nuku TewhatewhaAt your own pace
Te Ara o Ngā Tūpuna
The Path of Our Ancestors heritage trail runs from Thorndon to Ōwhiro Bay, past former pā, kāinga and the old shoreline. It is a joint project of Wellington City Council, the Wellington Tenths Trust and Ngāti Toa.
Read our guideToenga o Te Aro
The remains of three ponga whare from Te Aro Pā, one of the largest pā in the region, found in 2005 and preserved where they lay. They are open to view at street level, under an apartment building.
Read our guideMatiu / Somes Island
Kupe gave the island its Māori name about 1000 years ago. It is owned by Taranaki Whānui, governed by a Kaitiaki Board and managed by DOC. Open daily 8.30am to 5pm; it can close at times of extreme fire danger.
Read our guideTangi te Keo / Mt Victoria
In tradition the harbour was a lake where two taniwha lived. Ngake smashed through to the sea; Whātaitai was stranded, and his spirit, the bird Te Keo, flew to the summit and mourned, hence Tangi te Keo.
Read our guideŌtari-Wilton’s Bush
Ōtarikākā means “the place of snares to trap kākā”, once a mahinga kai. Taranaki Whānui, Te Āti Awa and Ngāti Toa Rangatira hold mana whenua here, and its track names were gifted by mana whenua.
Read our guidePariwhero / Red Rocks
Early Māori came here for fishing and for bull kelp to store fish. Legends explain the red rock: Māui’s blood, Kupe cut on pāua, or Kupe’s daughters fearing for his safety. The coast road is closed to vehicles on Sundays.
Read our guideWaitangi Park
Near the old Waitangi Lagoon, east of Te Aro flat, which with the streams, bush and harbour was a rich food source. The park hosts Te Rā o Waitangi every 6 February.
Read our guideTe Rauparaha’s Taupō Pā
Te Rauparaha’s Taupō pā stood behind the beach, and he was captured there on 23 July 1846.
Read our guideThe Kupe Group
William Trethewey’s statue of Kupe, his wife Te Aparangi and the tohunga Pekahourangi, first made for the 1939-40 Centennial Exhibition and cast in bronze in 1999.
Read the storyJoin in
Paddle a waka ama
Waka Ama Aotearoa NZ lists local clubs including Tu Nui a Te Ika (Oriental Bay), Tai Tonga 41 (Hataitai), Hikoikoi (Petone), Kōkiri Marae Tai Patu (Seaview) and TOA Waka Ama (Takapūwāhia).
Club list and contactsMatariki Ahi Kā
The council’s free celebration of Matariki and Puanga on the waterfront. Te Āti Awa are acknowledged for Puanga and Ngāti Toa for Matariki.
About Matariki Ahi KāLearn te reo Māori
Beginner classes with no fees at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa’s Wellington, Lower Hutt and Porirua campuses, and the council’s free Mahau app.
See the classesMāori events through the year
Te Rā o Waitangi
A free, whānau-friendly day at Waitangi Park, 12pm to 6pm on Saturday 6 February 2027, with music, cultural performances, stalls and kai. He Tohu at the National Library is open on Waitangi Day.
Te Matatini, Ngāruawāhia
The national kapa haka festival is at Hopuhopu Sports Park from 22 to 27 February 2027, with 57 kapa, the most in its history.
Matariki Ahi Kā
Wellington City Council’s free Matariki and Puanga event on the waterfront, with fire, projections, performances and a nightly ceremony for those who have passed. The name was gifted by mana whenua. The Matariki public holiday in 2027 is Friday 25 June.
Marae in and around Wellington
Marae are the gathering places of iwi and hapū. They are not visitor attractions: you visit a marae when you’re invited, or by arrangement with the marae, often with a group, a school or an event. Each marae has its own kawa (protocol), so ask your hosts what they expect.
Pipitea Marae
A marae of Taranaki Whānui and Te Ātiawa near the site of Pipitea Pā; its wharenui is Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui. Its website is being rebuilt and takes booking enquiries.
Booking enquiriesTe Herenga Waka Marae
The marae of Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, with the wharenui Te Tumu Herenga Waka. It runs public tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Public toursRongomaraeroa
Te Papa’s marae, described as an authentic and inclusive marae for the 21st century, and one of the museum’s permanent exhibitions.
Te Papa exhibitionsWaiwhetū Marae
A Te Ātiawa marae with the wharenui Arohanui ki te Tangata / Te Ra o Te Raukura.
Our Waiwhetū guideTe Tatau o Te Pō
A marae of Taranaki Whānui and Te Ātiawa, listed with Pipitea and Waiwhetū by Te Kāhui Māngai.
Te Kāhui MāngaiKōkiri Marae
The first Kōkiri centre, set up in 1979, which became an urban marae for whānau, hapū and all iwi. It now runs three kōhanga reo and health and social services.
About Kōkiri MaraeTakapūwāhia and Hongoeka
Ngāti Toa Rangatira’s marae in Porirua: Takapūwāhia, with the wharenui Toa Rangatira, and Hongoeka, with Te Heke Mai Raro.
Our Takapūwāhia guideHow a welcome usually goes
- GatherThe visitors gather together outside the marae before the welcome begins. Don’t walk on until you’re called.
- KarangaA woman from the hosts calls you on, and a woman from your group answers. Walk on together as the calling continues.
- Whaikōrero and waiataSpeeches from hosts and visitors, each followed by a song.
- KohaA gift, usually money in an envelope, laid down by your last speaker.
- Hongi and harirūShake hands and press noses with the hosts.
- KaiA shared meal ends the welcome and lifts the tapu of the pōwhiri.
The iwi of Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Te Kāhui Māngai lists four iwi for Wellington City: Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Muaūpoko. The council’s Tākai Here partners are Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, Taranaki Whānui and Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa.
Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika
Descendants of Te Ati Awa, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga and other Taranaki iwi, who migrated to the Wellington area in the 1830s and have kept ahi kā. In their words, the traditional guardians of the harbour and its lands.
Port Nicholson Block Settlement TrustTe Ātiawa
Te Ātiawa ki te Upoko o te Ika a Māui Pōtiki Trust is the iwi’s mandated organisation for fisheries, with three marae: Waiwhetū, Pipitea and Te Tatau o te Pō.
Te Ātiawa trustNgāti Toa Rangatira
Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, set up in 1990, is the iwi authority. Its rohe runs from the Whangaehu River south to Turakirae, then across Raukawa Moana to Marlborough and Nelson.
Ngāti Toa websiteMuaūpoko and Ngāi Tara
Muaūpoko descend from Tara, whose name is on many landmarks. His people were first known as Ngāi Tara; Muaūpoko means “in front of the head” of the fish of Māui.
Read the storyMāori history and stories
Heritage New Zealand records the earliest inhabitants as descendants of the Kurahaupō waka, including Ngāi Tara, Rangitāne and Muaūpoko. In the 1820s and 1830s iwi from Kāwhia and Taranaki came south, and in the 1840s Te Aro and Pipitea were the two largest pā in the town of Wellington.
Māori History in Wellington
Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s Māori history, from the first people to the city today.
Read the historyNgāti Pōneke
The pan-tribal Ngāti Pōneke Young Māori Club, set up in 1937 for Māori to socialise and take part in their culture; Āpirana Ngata coined the name.
Read itLearning te reo Māori in Wellington
Free and low-cost te reo Māori learning for adults. Check each provider for the latest dates.
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
Te Kahupapa o te Reo, Level 1 for beginners, has no fees and starts in February 2027, with day and evening classes.
Find out moreTe Herenga Waka Victoria University
Te Tīmatanga / Introduction to Māori Language is listed for 2027, for people with little or no te reo.
Find out moreMahau
A free app to start your reo journey, made by the council with Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Taranaki Whānui, with sections on their dialects.
Get MahauTe Ataarangi
An online pathway open to anyone, from Beginner to Level 3. Te Ataarangi also runs in-person community classes by region.
Find out moreKōhanga reo
Kōhanga reo are Māori-language early learning centres. The Ministry of Education directory lists five in Wellington city and 20 more in Lower Hutt and Porirua. Find one on the Kōhanga Reo National Trust map.
- Te Kōhanga Reo o Ngā Mokopuna (Kilbirnie)
- Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Kaahui (Newtown)
- Te Kōhanga Reo o Ngaio (Ngaio)
- Te Kōhanga Reo o Ngāhauranga (Tawa)
- Te Kōhanga Reo o Takapu (Linden)
Kura: schools that teach in te reo Māori
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna
Kura kaupapa Māori, from primary to secondary.
Te Ara Whānui Kura Kaupapa Māori
Kura kaupapa Māori o ngā Kōhanga Reo o Te Awa Kairangi, from primary to secondary.
Te Kura Māori o Porirua
Kura ā iwi, from primary to secondary.
Natone Park School
State primary school where all students are taught in te reo Māori.
Māori health and community services
Ora Toa Health Services
Owned and run by Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira: low-cost primary health care for Māori and non-Māori, with free addiction and mental health services, mirimiri and community health.
Find out moreKōkiri Marae Health and Social Services
Health and social services from Kōkiri Marae, part of the Tākiri Mai te Ata Whānau Ora collective.
Find out moreTū Kotahi Māori Asthma Trust
Formed in 1995 by Māori asthma providers and marae in the Wellington region, the first Māori asthma society in New Zealand. Asthma, bronchiolitis and Well Homes services.
Find out moreMāori Land Court
An information office open to the public for general information; usually only applications to the Chief Judge and the Māori Appellate Court are lodged here. Māori land records can be searched online through Pātaka Whenua.
Court officesAbout this page
Explore Wellington is an independent local guide. This page draws on the iwi and marae websites, Te Kāhui Māngai, Wellington City Council and City Libraries, Te Ara, Heritage New Zealand, Te Papa, DOC, the Ministry of Education and the Māori Land Court. Spotted something to add or correct? Let us know.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Māori name for Wellington?
Te Whanganui-a-Tara, “the great harbour of Tara”, and Pōneke. Both are used for the city today.
Is Wellington Pōneke or Te Whanganui-a-Tara?
Both. Te Whanganui-a-Tara is the older name, for the harbour and its surrounds, after the ancestor Tara. Pōneke came later: Te Ara describes it as the Māori name for Port Nicholson, the early name for Wellington.
What does Pōneke mean?
Te Ara describes Pōneke as the Māori name for Port Nicholson, the early name for Wellington, and the Te Aka Māori Dictionary lists it as a loanword meaning Wellington.
Who was Tara?
Tara was the son of Whātonga, a chief of the Kurahaupō waka. Te Ara says he was named after the tara (fish spine) his mother pricked her finger on just before he was born. His people were Ngāi Tara, now known as Muaūpoko.
What is the Māori name for the Wellington region?
Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui, “the head of Māui’s fish”, from the legend of Māui fishing up the North Island.
Who are the iwi and mana whenua of Wellington?
Te Kāhui Māngai lists Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Muaūpoko for Wellington City. Taranaki Whānui describe themselves as the mana whenua of the Port Nicholson area.
Was Wellington Harbour once a lake?
In tradition, yes. The harbour was a lake where the taniwha Ngake and Whātaitai lived. Ngake smashed his way out to Cook Strait, and Whātaitai was stranded trying to follow.
What is the Māori name for Mt Victoria?
Tangi te Keo, after the bird-spirit of the taniwha Whātaitai that mourned on the summit. Matairangi is also used.
How many Māori live in Wellington?
At the 2023 Census, 19,878 people of Māori ethnicity lived in Wellington City, 9.8% of residents (Stats NZ).
Can you visit a marae in Wellington?
Only by invitation or arrangement. Te Herenga Waka Marae at Victoria University runs public tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Rongomaraeroa, the marae at Te Papa, is part of the museum’s exhibitions.
Where can I experience Māori culture in Wellington?
Take a waka or walking tour with Te Wharewaka o Pōneke Tours, visit Mana Whenua and Rongomaraeroa at Te Papa, see Te Tiriti o Waitangi at He Tohu, walk Te Ara o Ngā Tūpuna heritage trail, or join Te Rā o Waitangi at Waitangi Park.
Where can I learn te reo Māori in Wellington?
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa runs beginner classes with no fees at its Wellington, Lower Hutt and Porirua campuses from February 2027, Te Herenga Waka teaches MAOR 101 for beginners, and the council’s Mahau app is free.