New Zealand court grants tribe marine rights, recognizing their authority over a coastal area since 1840.

The New Zealand High Court has granted the Ātiawa Ki Whakarongotai tribe customary marine title over a coastal area from Kūkūtauākī to Whareroa, recognizing their rights and authority over the sea since 1840. This decision allows the tribe to have a say in resource consents and conservation permissions, and to protect their coastal environment. The ruling affirms the tribe's mana whenua and mana moana, or authority over land and sea.