Māori Culture in Nelson
What Whakatū means, the eight iwi of Te Tauihu, Whakatū Marae, taonga at the museum, Matangi Āwhio and te reo.
Whakatū is the Māori name for Nelson, in Te Tauihu o te Waka-a-Māui, the top of the South Island, and eight iwi are tangata whenua here. Here’s where to experience Māori culture in Nelson: taonga at the museum, Matangi Āwhio and other places with Māori names and stories, Waitangi Day at Whakatū Marae, Matariki, the iwi and te reo.
Whakatū and Wakatū
Nelson’s Māori name has two spellings and several traditions behind it. The two spellings reflect dialect: iwi who speak in the Tainui way, such as Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Rārua and Ngāti Toa, say Whakatū, and the Taranaki iwi, Ngāti Tama and Te Ātiawa, say Wakatū.
Whakatū
To build or erect. Ngāti Kuia and Ngāti Koata kaumātua tell of newcomers told to build their homes where they could hear the whio, at Matangi Āwhio.
Wakatū
A waka stood up. Traditions tie it to a waka wrecked on the Boulder Bank, and one raised there as a chief’s grave marker.
Te Tauihu
The prow of the waka: the top of the South Island, Te Waka-a-Māui.
Mahitahi
The river through the city, now usually called the Maitai.
Pakohe
Argillite, the stone of Te Tauihu, found on Maungatapu, the source of the Mahitahi.
Ways to experience Māori culture in Nelson
See the taonga at the Nelson Provincial Museum, then find the places in the city with Māori names and stories. Check with each place for dates and prices.
Museum
Nelson Provincial Museum Pupuri Taonga o Te Tai Ao
The museum of the Nelson and Tasman regions. In the Regional Gallery is Te Rongo o Matangi Āwhio, a small granodiorite boulder shaped into Rongo Mā Tāne, atua of cultivation and peace, found in the 1920s at the old pā of Matangi Āwhio. Entry to the Regional Gallery is free for Nelson Tasman residents and ratepayers; other visitors pay general admission, and fees may apply for touring exhibitions.
Visit the museumAt your own pace
Matangi Āwhio (Auckland Point)
Iwi traditions tell that the tupuna Pohea established a fortified settlement here around 1450 and named it after the swirling sea breezes from Te Tai o Aorere (Tasman Bay). It was a settlement and a landing place for waka, and later a trading point and a place where Māori stayed for Land Court hearings and hui. Auckland Point School now stands on the site, so view it from Haven Road.
Nelson Provincial MuseumPikimai (Church Hill)
Pikimai, now Church Hill, is one of the sites in the Mahitahi (Maitai) catchment that iwi of Te Tauihu occupied for centuries, along with Matangi Āwhio. Christ Church Cathedral stands on it today.
Read our guideTe Taero a Kereopa (Boulder Bank)
The long boulder spit that shelters Nelson Haven. A well-known Te Tauihu pūrākau tells how Kereopa created the bank as he fled from Kupe.
Read our guideTe Pā Harakeke
A family park on the old Modellers’ Pond site. Nelson City Council kaumātua gifted the name in 2022: it is a whakataukī about whānau, likening the young shoot of the harakeke (flax) to a child, protected by the older generations around it.
Read our guideMāori events through the year
Te Rā o Waitangi ki Whakatū
Waitangi Day at Whakatū Marae and Founders Heritage Park, with a pōwhiri at the marae, and first-time visitors to Whakatū Marae are asked to take part in it. In 2026 it ran from 9am to 3pm, with food and craft stalls at both places.
Tuku Whakatū
Nelson’s heritage festival, reflecting on the heritage of Māori, European and newer migrants. Dates vary each year: Tuku 26 ran from 21 March to 3 May 2026.
Matariki festival
Nelson City Council hosts its Matariki festival with Ngā Iwi e Waru o Te Tauihu, the eight iwi. In 2025, Te Huihuinga-o-Matariki ran on the public holiday at the Trafalgar Centre, with koha entry and the regional secondary schools’ kapa haka.
Matariki public holiday
Matariki falls on Friday 25 June in 2027. See how all 20 Explore cities celebrate in Matariki in New Zealand.
Whakatū Marae
Marae are the gathering places of hapū and iwi. 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.
Whakatū Marae
The marae of six iwi: Ngāti Tama, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Koata and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. Its whare tupuna, Kaakati, opened on 1 April 1995, and the site also holds the wharekai Mauriora, whare kaumātua and Kōpūāwai Te Kōhanga Reo. Its kawa is Tū Atu Tū Mai. Visitors who have not been to the marae before are welcomed with a pōwhiri or whakatau. Waitangi Day is the main public event at the marae, beginning with a pōwhiri.
Their siteHow a welcome usually goes
- GatherThe visitors assemble together, and the hosts begin the welcome.
- KarangaA woman from the hosts calls you on, and a caller 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.
- HākariA shared meal ends the welcome and lifts the tapu of the pōwhiri.
The eight iwi of Te Tauihu
Eight iwi are tangata whenua of Te Tauihu o te Waka-a-Māui, the top of the South Island, and all eight have interests in Nelson City. In December 2023 their chairs and the mayors of Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough signed Kia Kotahi Te Tauihu, Together Te Tauihu, a partnership agreement between the iwi and the three councils. Each iwi has its own website, the best place to read about them in their own words.
- Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō
- Ngāti Kuia: “He iwi Pakohe, he iwi Karakia”
- Ngāti Koata
- Ngāti Rārua
- Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu: “Tama tū ki Te Tauihu. Tama ora ki te Ao.”
- Ngāti Toa Rangatira
- Rangitāne o Wairau
- Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui
Māori history and stories
Iwi traditions tell of Matangi Āwhio being settled around 1450, and iwi of Te Tauihu lived at sites in the Mahitahi catchment for centuries before the New Zealand Company settlement. Te Ara tells the longer story of the iwi who settled Te Tauihu and of the land lost after colonisation. In 1977 the surviving native reserve titles in Nelson City, Motueka and parts of Golden Bay were transferred to Wakatū Incorporation, which has grown into a large Māori business.
Māori History in Nelson
Whakatū, the iwi of Te Tauihu and Māori history in the region.
Read the historyTe Tau Ihu tribes
The iwi who settled the top of the South Island, and the land lost after colonisation.
Read itLearning te reo Māori in Nelson
Te reo Māori learning for adults. Check each provider for the latest dates.
NMIT
A Level 1 te reo course with zero fees in 2027 (a student service fee applies). In Nelson it runs one evening a week, 5pm to 9pm, from 15 February 2027, or full time during the day.
Find out moreTe Wānanga o Aotearoa
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has no campus in the Nelson region, but offers home-based and e-learning options.
Find out moreKōhanga reo
Kōhanga reo are Māori-language early learning centres. The Ministry of Education directory lists 3 in Nelson City. Find one on the Kōhanga Reo National Trust map.
- Te Kōhanga Reo o Waimeha (Vanguard Street)
- Te Kōhanga Reo o Kōpūāwai (Whakatū Marae, Atawhai)
- Te Kōhanga Reo o Kia Tau Te Rangimārie (Stoke)
Schools that teach in te reo Māori
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tuia te Matangi
Kura kaupapa Māori, composite school. All students taught in te reo Māori. The nearest kura kaupapa Māori to Nelson.
Their siteNo Nelson City school has all its students taught in te reo Māori, but the Ministry lists five where some students are: Te Puna Wānanga o Te Wairepo at Victory Primary School, Nelson Central School, Nelson Intermediate, Broadgreen Intermediate and Nayland Primary School.
About this page
Explore Nelson is an independent local guide. This page draws on the websites of Whakatū Marae, the iwi of Te Tauihu, Te Kāhui Māngai, Nelson City Council, the Nelson Provincial Museum, The Prow, Te Ara, the Ministry of Education and the providers’ own sites. Spotted something to add or correct? Let us know.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Nelson in Māori?
Whakatū, also spelt Wakatū. Iwi who speak in the Tainui way say Whakatū, and the Taranaki iwi, Ngāti Tama and Te Ātiawa, say Wakatū.
What does Whakatū mean?
Whakatū means to build or erect. One tradition tells of newcomers being told to build their homes where they could hear the whio, at Matangi Āwhio; others tie the name Wakatū to a waka stood up on the Boulder Bank.
What are the iwi in Nelson?
Eight iwi: Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Rangitāne o Wairau and Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui.
Is there a marae in Nelson?
Whakatū Marae, at 99 Atawhai Drive, is the marae of six iwi, with the whare tupuna Kaakati, opened in 1995. Visits are by arrangement, and Waitangi Day is the main public event at the marae.
Where can I see Māori taonga in Nelson?
At the Nelson Provincial Museum Pupuri Taonga o Te Tai Ao on Trafalgar Street, including Te Rongo o Matangi Āwhio in the Regional Gallery. Entry to the Regional Gallery is free for Nelson Tasman residents.
What happens on Waitangi Day in Nelson?
Te Rā o Waitangi ki Whakatū is held at Whakatū Marae and Founders Heritage Park, beginning with a pōwhiri at the marae, with food and craft stalls at both places.
Is there a Matariki festival in Nelson?
Yes. Nelson City Council hosts it with the eight iwi of Te Tauihu; in 2025 it ran on the public holiday at the Trafalgar Centre. The next Matariki public holiday is Friday 25 June 2027.
Where can I learn te reo Māori in Nelson?
NMIT runs a Level 1 te reo course with zero fees in 2027, with evening classes in Nelson from 15 February 2027.