tangata whenua

UK/ˌtaŋətə fɛˈnʊə/

noun

Local or indigenous people; specifically, the Maori.

OriginMāori tangata whenua →
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Meanings

nountangata whenua pl (plural only)
  1. New Zealandpluralplural onlyLocal or indigenous people; specifically, the Maori.

    In the next two decades, however, the demographic, economic and political impact of the new colonists would transform the country in ways that the tangata whenua could never have foreseen.

    2003, Michael King, The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand, Penguin, published 2023, page 179

Origin

  1. Māoritangata whenua
  2. Māoritangata whenua
  3. Englishtangata whenua

Borrowed from Māori tangata whenua (“people of the land”).

More words from Māori

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tangata whenua. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tangata%20whenua

MLA

“tangata whenua.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tangata%20whenua. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tangata whenua,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tangata%20whenua.

Source: tangata whenua on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.