About us

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority was established in 2014 to manage the care and enhancement of fourteen Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) after ownership was returned to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the Māori tribes of Auckland) in a 2014 Treaty of Waitangi redress. The Authority has equal representation from the Mana Whenua iwi and Auckland Council.

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The Tūpuna Maunga are wāhi tapu – sites of immense cultural and spiritual importance to Mana Whenua.  They were all once elaborate pā fortresses that were the centre of the early Māori civilisation in Tāmaki Makaurau. The Tūpuna Maunga Authority is now working towards protecting and enhancing the Maunga as taonga (treasures) and educating visitors about their immense cultural and historical significance. UNESCO World Heritage status is a future goal.

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Be sure to visit Te Ipu Kōrero o Maungawhau, the Maungawhau Visitor Experience Centre below the tihi (summit) on Maungawhau / Mt Eden to discover the story of Māori settlement on the Maunga. 

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The Authority’s annual Love Your Maunga event is a fun and entertaining way for all communities to celebrate the Maunga as taonga tuku iho – treasures to be handed down the generations. 

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Learn more about the Tūpuna Maunga Authority at www.maunga.nz

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