Mana whenua are Māori with ancestral relationships in certain areas in Tāmaki Makaurau where they exercise customary authority.
Auckland Council recognises 19 mana whenua groups within Tāmaki Makaurau:
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki
Ngāti Manuhiri
Ngāti Maru
Ngāti Paoa
Ngāti Rehua
Ngāti Tamaoho
Ngāti Tamaterā
Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua
Ngāti Wai
Ngāti Whanaunga
Ngāti Whātua Ngā Rima o Kaipara
Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei
Patukirikiri
Waikato-Tainui
Te Ākitai
Te Ahiwaru
Te Kawerau a Maki
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua
Te Uri o Hau.
Mataawaka are Māori living in Tāmaki Makaurau (the Auckland region) who do not form part of a mana whenua group, and whose ancestral links lie outside of Tāmaki Makaurau.