FAQ
Do you have any questions? Anything at all? Use the Activity Feed or contact the administrator directly. If a question is asked often enough, we will note it here.
We now have an AI chatbot which is trained on data from this webpage: "Tautoko"
I. I have taken a DNA test, but not with FamilyTreeDNA. Can I still join?
Yes! If you've tested with AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, or 23andMe you can still join the project after uploading your raw results to FamilyTreeDNA. You must do this first.
These are official instructions from each:
Once you've got the files downloaded onto your computer, you can upload them to FamilyTreeDNA using the autosomal transfer form.
II. Can this project be used for health research?
The project is for whakapapa purposes first and foremost, which itself can help participants learn about their family's medical history, particularly by researching death certificates or other documents. FamilyTreeDNA offers no way to interpret DNA data through a medical lens.
III. Which company should I test with?
For your autosomal pool, go for AncestryDNA—it's by far the largest, so you'll get the most cousin‑matches and the best ethnicity breakdowns (if that's your thing). The University of Strathclyde, recommends the same. Once you've got your raw data, upload it to FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) for free. FTDNA welcomes transfers from all the other big players. Visit: "Tested With Another Company? Upload Your Data For Free!" The optional transfer unlock is typically $9 USD during mid-to-late April for DNA Day and in August for the Summer Sale.
IV. How does this kaupapa benefit Kāi Tahu?
This depends on the test you take. Your autosomal results will be useful for close family matches, by triangulation. Your mtDNA and/or Y-DNA can be used in tandem to clarify autosomal matches, and to look back in time to the earliest Polynesian settlers of Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu. Using those tests, we can learn all kinds of things about our ancestral lines beyond remembered oral tradition. If we have multiple Y-DNA results from within our iwi, we can ascertain which 1848 kaumātua descended from which hapū in cases where this is not known.
Ideally, we want everyone to fit somewhere in the whakapapa, in the wider Kāi Tahu story. DNA can narrow that down, but we always need kits across all three tests to compare against.
V. I already know my whakapapa – why would I need a DNA test?
Anō te pai! Whakapapa is the foundation of who we are – this project doesn't replace or question it, it supports it. DNA testing—for genealogical purposes—is another tool, not a better one: it helps strengthen lines, patch gaps, and catch errors where records fall short. It can show forgotten descent paths and find lost kin. It also helps correct colonial paper trails and uncover lost or hidden ties. Even if your own line is strong, your DNA adds weight to the Kāi Tahu whole. One test can help many, not just you. The more who join in, the stronger our truth stands.
Anō te pai! Whakapapa is the foundation of who we are – this project doesn't replace or question it, it supports it. DNA testing—for genealogical purposes—is another tool, not a better one: it helps strengthen lines, patch gaps, and catch errors where records fall short. It can show forgotten descent paths and find lost kin. It also helps correct colonial paper trails and uncover lost or hidden ties. Even if your own line is strong, your DNA adds weight to the Kāi Tahu whole. One test can help many, not just you. The more who join in, the stronger our truth stands.
VI. Does this project have TRoNT or Papatipu Rūnanga backing?
Not at this very early stage. There’s no official endorsement or support currently in place, but we have reached out to the Ngāi Tahu Fund.
There is no agreement between us and any of them to share information. We wouldn't even be allowed to share raw genetic data and tester details, but we may eventually pass on confident assertions about our ancestors e.g.: such-and-such (born 1840) was related to such-and-such (born 1845) and we know this because their descendants are Y-DNA matches.
VII. Do you research Waitaha, patupaiarehe, and stuff like that? Monica Matamua has relatives in Peru and Persia, proven by DNA testing.
We do, sure. ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯ The Waitaha stories, as most folks know them, evolved from those of our own teachers and elders.
What folks get wrong about Mrs Matamua's (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maru, Whanganui Māori) DNA results is exactly how little they understand DNA testing. Her results were perfectly consistent with Polynesian haplogroups, given the level of testing she used—the National Geographic Genographic survey (as shown here and here).
Non-Polynesian bits like 28% northeast Asian, 20% southeast Asian, and broad "Oceanian" that could even include Aboriginal Australians, are a direct result of the Genographic project having very few Polynesian or Māori reference samples. Lacking enough data, they compared her DNA to nearby populations and reported similarities. This is a well-known quirk of commercial DNA testing: databases are heavily skewed toward Western/European populations (Turanga, 2025).
For context, when I had my fully European father do the Genographic survey, his results were Y-DNA R-Z156 and mtDNA H1. FamilyTreeDNA later refined these to R-FTD38441 (ancestral path) and H1-T16189C!, because the Genographic survey only tested to a level sufficient for broad patterns, not fine-grained lineages.
Mrs Matamua’s results came back B4 on Genographic. That's exactly what you'd expect: B4 is the ancestral haplogroup of the "Polynesian motif." For comparison, my relative is B4a1a1m1 (ancestral path)—finer detail.
🐱: "My genetic marker says I'm in the Felidae family, and many Felidae live in the Americas. That proves I'm a jaguar."
—Or—
Mudkip's DNA shows it's in the 'Monster' egg group, and many of those come from Kanto. Therefore Mudkip thinks its ancestors were Blastoise.
Mudkip's DNA shows it's in the 'Monster' egg group, and many of those come from Kanto. Therefore Mudkip thinks its ancestors were Blastoise.
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Concerns around DNA misuse, privacy, and tikanga breaches
(Inspired by the works of Karaitiana Taiuru – Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Toa)
These are fair concerns. DNA is powerful – it carries whakapapa. AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, and 23andMe are all American-based. That means samples and raw results are subject to U.S. law, not ours. MyHeritage is Israeli; LivingDNA is British. We can’t guarantee what any of them might do in the future. That said though, some potential privacy risks—like data being discreetly given to third parties for profiling, advertising, or algorithmic targeting—aren’t so different to what already happens with services like Facebook or Gmail.
Review the 2015 "Genetic Genealogy Standards" and the "FamilyTreeDNA Terms"; Ancestry's are: "Ancestry Terms and Conditions" and "Privacy Statement". Samples and raw data can be deleted from both if circumstances change.
As for tikanga, our own project had a slow and somewhat frustrating start. Our initial applications were declined due to perceived "overlap" with a broader Māori DNA project. Thankfully, a second reviewer, with input from anonymous administrators, took a broader view and approved it. We share this not to criticise the host site, but to show honestly how our worldviews can clash with overseas systems that don’t always grasp the nuance or depth of te ao Māori. This is the first iwi-specific research project on FamilyTreeDNA, and getting here took persistence.
- (6 Jun 2017). "Dangerous game of DNA testing for Maori". Te Kete o Karaitiana Taiuru (Blog)
- (11 Feb 2019). "DNA is a Taonga: A Customary Māori Perspective". Te Kete o Karaitiana Taiuru (Blog)
- (2021). Māori genetic data: Inalienable rights and tikanga sovereignty: A thesis presented to Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. Doctoral thesis, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.
- (20 May 2022). "Indigenising DNA". Te Kete o Karaitiana Taiuru (Blog)
- (1 Nov 2024). "Te Ao Māori perspective of Privacy with DNA". Te Kete o Karaitiana Taiuru (Blog)
Some infamous privacy breaches are because of
the FBI, so their operations in our country have negative implications
for genetic genealogists. The "Say No to the FBI in Aotearoa" petition provides background on the cultural and legal stakes of the
FBI's involvement in our country, and invites New Zealanders to act.
- (3 Mar 2020). "Do Not Access – Is Law Enforcement Access to Commercial DNA Databases a Substantial Privacy Concern?" Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy.
- Toohey, Ellsworth (27 Feb 2025). "FBI violated DNA privacy rules to solve Idaho murder case". msn.
On the other hand...
The project itself is whānau-led, whakapapa-focused, and built on trust. We encourage all Ngāi Tahu descendants to register with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, who do accept DNA testing as supporting evidence—which means we can help you understand your results to strengthen your case while providing a place to discuss with other Ngāi Tahu whose families may have similar experiences to yours.
There's no social licence (or scientific means) to "resurrect" tīpuna (compare "de-extincting" the moa). DNA can serve to expose whakapapa pretenders, but nowadays a simple investigation of kinlore is usually enough to disprove fraudulent (or good-natured but misinformed) claims. A lot of resources are available for this.
There are some situations where DNA testing for genealogical purposes is the only tool left for someone trying to reconnect with their whakapapa — especially when records are missing or family knowledge has been lost. But these results only become meaningful if others with known whakapapa have already tested and are cooperative. Even those most critical of DNA testing tend to acknowledge that much.
If you're really unsure, and your only reason to buy is "I wanna see my ethnicity percentages," then you probably shouldn't.
Aroha and respect to Dr Taiuru—his mahi is important. He also maintains the Ngāi Tahu Pepeha Resources website.