Matawhenua GIS Mapping

A free practical GIS starter kit for iwi, hapū and whānau.

Last reviewed: 16 August 2026

Matawhenua GIS Mapping gives you a working QGIS project and a useful set of public national datasets so you can begin with an actual map rather than spending days assembling a GIS from scratch.

The basic pattern is simple: download the starter package, open the project, find your rohe, then make local working copies of the layers you need.

Original StoryMap

This searchable guide is based on the original Matawhenua GIS Mapping StoryMap. The full Matawhenua StoryMaps collection includes imagery, freshwater, 3D storytelling and council GIS examples.

Download the kit

Package	Use it for	Approximate storage	Download
Starter package	learning, local projects and most first-time users	1.7 GB download, about 4 GB extracted	Download starter data
Advanced national data	broader property and national vector coverage	about 6 GB download, about 12 GB extracted	Download advanced data
Advanced QGIS project	configured project for the advanced data	small project file	Download advanced QGIS project

The packaged datasets were assembled in August 2025 and do not update automatically. For current operational decisions, check the original provider and refresh the layers that matter.

Start in 20 minutes

1. Install QGIS.
2. Create a stable folder such as C:\_GIS on Windows or an equivalent GIS folder on macOS/Linux.
3. Download the starter ZIP and extract it into that folder.
4. Open the supplied .qgz QGIS project.
5. Confirm that the national layers load.
6. Find your marae, whenua or rohe.
7. Choose one or two layers relevant to a real question.
8. Export those features into your own GeoPackage rather than editing the supplied national layers.
9. Record the source and date with your local layer.

If QGIS is new to you, use the QGIS guide alongside these steps.

What is included

Depending on the package version, the starter data includes useful public context such as:

• marae and tangata whenua place names
• Māori Land Court blocks
• iwi areas of interest
• awa, roto, maunga and selected historic sites
• Treaty settlement and Crown engagement areas
• rights of first refusal and related settlement context
• protected areas and Crown-managed land
• land cover, land-use capability and historic wetland information
• property parcels, titles, survey references and paper roads
• coastline and selected marine information
• hazard and earthquake reference data
• schools, services and other community context

This is a starter dataset. It is not an authoritative statement about iwi or hapū boundaries, cultural sites, legal ownership or tikanga.

See the QGIS project

A real Matawhenua QGIS project combining public national datasets so a user can locate a rohe and begin making local project layers.

Starter or advanced

Use the starter package first. Move to the advanced package only when the starter project is working and you know which additional layers you need.

The advanced package is larger and more useful for people who need broader national property or vector coverage. Larger is not automatically better for a local project.

Make a local rohe dataset

A national layer is usually a source, not your working dataset.

A practical local workflow is:

1. draw or load an area for the project
2. use Select by Location to select relevant national features
3. choose Export → Save Selected Features As
4. save them into your own GeoPackage
5. use a clear layer name
6. record source, extraction date and purpose

For example, you might create a 10 km working area around a marae, select Māori land blocks and relevant public context layers, then save only those local features into a project GeoPackage.

What to map next

Whenua

Use Māori land blocks, parcels, survey information, imagery, planning and hazards as separate layers with their different meanings kept clear.

Go to Whenua mapping

Place names

Use official NZ Gazetteer information alongside local and historical names without treating them as interchangeable.

Go to Place names

Taiao

Combine catchments, rivers, land cover, wetlands, imagery and environmental monitoring to support restoration and kaitiakitanga work.

Go to Taiao mapping

Hazards

Use council and national hazard information as evidence with a stated model, scenario and date. Do not merge hazard polygons from different sources as though they necessarily represent the same event or probability.

Find hazard and council data

Choose the tool

QGIS

Use QGIS when you need to create, edit, analyse or print maps. It is the main tool used by the supplied project and works offline.

ArcGIS Earth

Use ArcGIS Earth when the main need is easy 3D viewing, local files, KML/KMZ or exploratory work without moving the project into a browser service.

Google Earth

Use Google Earth in the browser when Google imagery, historical imagery, Street View or lightweight place exploration is useful. Do not build a new workflow that depends on Google Earth Pro desktop. Existing Pro installations can still be used while they remain useful, but for new free Windows desktop KML/KMZ and local-file viewing, prefer ArcGIS Earth.

See Google Earth and Google Earth Pro desktop transition for the current guidance.

Coordinate systems

The supplied GeoPackage stores data in WGS 84, EPSG:4326. The project can display web basemaps using Web Mercator, EPSG:3857.

For New Zealand analysis where measurement accuracy matters, NZTM2000, EPSG:2193 is usually the stronger working coordinate system. See QGIS coordinate systems.

Add current basemaps and data

Use LINZ Basemaps for current aerial imagery and topographic context. Use GIS data for Aotearoa to find current Māori land, place-name, council, hazard and environmental sources.

Keep the packaged data as a learning and starter snapshot. Refresh operational layers from the original provider when currency matters.

Keep your data local when needed

The QGIS workflow can operate without uploading local data to a cloud GIS platform. This is useful where an organisation wants to:

• keep restricted working layers on its own devices or servers
• choose what is shared and with whom
• work without a paid GIS subscription
• separate public and restricted versions of the same kaupapa

Local storage still needs backups, device security and access controls. Offline does not automatically mean safe.

See Māori GIS data sovereignty and governance and Publishing sensitive locations safely.

Current source data

Useful provider entry points include:

• LINZ Data Service
• LINZ Basemaps
• Ministry for the Environment Data Service
• Stats NZ Geographic Data Service
• Manaaki Whenua LRIS Portal
• DOC Open Spatial Data
• data.govt.nz

Use GIS data for Aotearoa for task-based guidance and the Geospatial Data Catalogue for a wider directory.

More Matawhenua examples

• Open the original Matawhenua GIS Mapping StoryMap
• Matawhenua StoryMaps collection
• Applications of Imagery for kaupapa Māori GIS mapping
• Creating 3D Flythroughs for Cultural Narratives
• Ngā Raraunga mō ngā Kaupapa Māori GIS Mahere
• Ngā Poutama Matawhenua resources and recordings

Common questions

Is it free?

Yes. The starter package is a free download and QGIS is free open-source software. Check the terms attached to source datasets before redistributing them.

Can hapū use it without ArcGIS?

Yes. The main workflow is designed around QGIS and does not require a paid ArcGIS licence.

Does it contain all Māori information for Aotearoa?

No. It contains selected public national layers useful as a starting point. It does not replace local mātauranga, whakapapa, iwi or hapū records, authoritative legal information or culturally controlled datasets.

Can I add our own data?

Yes. Create a separate local GeoPackage or project structure for your information. Record who controls it and what may be shared before publishing anything online.