---
title: Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu
description: The central tribal governing body (Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu) representing the principal Māori iwi (tribe) of Te Waipounamu (the South Island)
url: https://www.taiuru.co.nz/te-runanga-o-ngai-tahu/
markdown_url: https://www.taiuru.co.nz/te-runanga-o-ngai-tahu.md
type: post
slug: te-runanga-o-ngai-tahu
author: Karaitiana Taiuru
published: 2026-10-17T06:10:38Z
modified: 2026-10-18T07:03:25Z
language: en-NZ
taxonomies:
  category:
    - Ngāi Tahu
word_count: 235
tokens: 374
---

# Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu

Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu was established by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Act 1996. It is the legal and governing entity for the whole iwi, and the Act also defines the Ngāi Tahu takiwā.

It became the post-settlement governance entity under the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, which followed Te Kerēme, the Ngāi Tahu claim.

Rūnanga or rūnaka in the Kāi Tahu dialect means a council or assembly. It refers to a local tribal council, known officially as a Papatipu Rūnanga.

Each of the 18 Papatipu Rūnanga appoints one representative to the governing table. This keeps iwi-level authority grounded in the local rūnanga rather than placed above them.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu manages the collective settlement assets and investments, including through Ngāi Tahu Holdings. It also runs iwi-wide social, cultural, educational and environmental programmes, such as Whai Rawa savings and education grants, for more than 80,000 registered members.

Papatipu Rūnanga are the marae-based, regional expressions of mana whenua. Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu is the iwi-wide body they collectively form and govern.

Each of the 18 Papatipu Rūnanga appoints one representative to the governing table at Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu manages the collective settlement assets and investments, including through Ngāi Tahu Holdings. It also runs iwi-wide social, cultural, educational and environmental programmes, such as Whai Rawa savings and education grants, for more than 80,000 registered members.