Whakapapa
Ka topa taku manu ki runga Aoraki Matatū ka hāro atu ki ngā maunga whakahī o Te motu. Ko tōna reo ka pāoro, ka haruru ki ngā moka katoa, he reo rāhiri ki a koe e te uri o Tahu Pōtiki, nei tō iwi e mihi ana, e owha atu ana, e tau, e tau, e tautī mai rā.
A bird soars above Aoraki and casts its gaze out to the lofty mountains of the land. Its voice resounds and reverberates to all corners of the land, a welcome for you, a descendant of Tahu Pōtiki, greetings and welcome.
Get started learning your whakapapa. The starting point to knowing your identity.
Register here as a whānau member.
History of the Blue Book
In 1963, the Ngāi Tahu Māori Trust Board published a list of kaumātua to inform the settlement of Kemp's Deed. This list is known today as the Blue Book. It was used to determine beneficial rights by tracing descent lines from those living within the boundaries of Kemp's Deed when it was signed in 1848. The names of kaumātua identified by the 1929 Census Committee, who were omitted in the original 1925 list, were added to the Blue Book in 1964.
Now over 80,000 registered Ngāi Tahu trace their descent to these kaumātua. Every day new names are added as the legacy of Tahu Pōtiki continues across Te Waipounamu and the world.
Judi Mossop
When Judi discovered she was adopted, she felt disconnected from her sense of belonging in Aotearoa. But reconnecting with her whakapapa brought her home, restoring her place and connection.
Genevieve Mora
Genevieve shares that she feels whakamā when she struggles to express herself through her pepeha. While she knows about her Scottish heritage, she is now beginning a journey to deepen her connection to her Ngāi Tahu whakapapa.
Top