Aoraki - Mt Cook Mana whenua, mana moana! Mana whenua refers to
the mana held by local people who have ‘demonstrated authority’
over land or territory in a particular area, authority which is
derived through whakapapa links to that area. While tangata
whenua refers to ‘people of the land’, our indigenous people
(ngā iwi Māori), mana whenua refers to the people who have local
tribal or sub-tribal authority. Across most of the whenua (land)
in Te Waipounamu (at least 80% of it), the mana whenua are Ngāi
Tahu.