Maori heritage can be described as nga taonga tuku iho no nga tupuna = treasures handed down by our ancestors.

It comprises a wide range of different places and items from the physical and tangible to the natural environment and the intangible. For the purposes of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust’s responsibilities, cultural heritage excludes te reo, performing arts, most portable taonga, radio waves, etc.

Maori heritage can be divided into the physical/tangible, natural and intangible.

E toru nga wahanga, ara ko nga taonga a tinana, nga taonga o te taiao me nga taonga wairua.

The physical/tangible heritage places can be described as those land-based places created, formed or shaped by earlier inhabitants. These can be archaeological sites (eg burials, pa, pits, terraces, oven stones, midden, stone/rock structures, rock-art, house sites, etc) or Maori built heritage places such as marae buildings, including their contents (eg carvings, artworks, photographs, etc) and structures (eg flagpoles, gateways, etc).

Ko enei nga nohonga me nga tohu i hanga i nga tupuna.

Natural heritage places may be natural features associated with traditional activities (eg springs, trees, swamp, caves, etc) or a tribal landmark (eg mountain, river, lands, sea/lake, village, etc) where no human activity is evident.

Ko enei nga ahua o Ranginui raua ko Papatuanuku me a raua tamariki.

The intangible heritage places are those places that have intangible characteristics where no visible feature or evidence is present but where a significant event or traditional activity took place (eg battlefield, places of meeting, of learning, of ritual, fishing ground, taniwha den, etc)

Ko enei nga wahi o nga tupuna hei tiaki i te mauri o nga wahi tupuna, me nga wahi mahi o nga tupuna.

All or any of the above cultural heritage places may also be considered to be wahi tapu, traditional sites, wahi taonga, or others depending on the iwi, hapu or whanau concerned.

Ma te Iwi, Hapu, Whanau ranei i tapaina, i whakarite hoki i nga wahi tuku iho katoa.