Ngāi Tahu are the indigenous people of Te Waipounamu, the South Island of New Zealand. Our whakapapa (genealogy) binds us to this land, and to our ancestors who discovered, explored and settled it.  We are an amalgamation of Waitaha, the first people to settle here about 700 years ago, and Ngāti Mamoe and Ngāi Tahu who migrated later from Te Ika o Maui (the North Island).

At Te Ana our role is to act as the guardians of Māori rock art in the South Island on behalf of our local iwi Ngāi Tahu. We are a non-profit organization and all the revenue we earn from the centre and tours, is used to protect and revitalize our treasured rock art. By visiting Te Ana you are helping to protect our precious tribal legacy for the generations to come.

Māori rock art is a unique and amazing aspect of our local mana whenua history – we want to protect it so that the generations to come can appreciate and enjoy it as we do today. At Te Ana we’re focused on sharing this tribal taonga with as many young people as we can. Its all about kaitiakitanga (guardianship) – we want to grow a new generation of rock art guardians.