"Whakapapa is the genealogical descent of all living things from the gods to the present time. The meaning of whakapapa is 'to lay one thing upon another...Everything has a whakapapa: birds, fish, trees ... rocks, mountains ... Whakapapa is one of the most prized forms of knowledge..."
Barlow (1994) Tikanga whakairo: key concepts in Māori culture. Oxford University Press.
The links on this page are places you can use to help you begin your whakapapa search.
An image of the whakapapa of a rangatira called Ruapani who lived in the 15th - 16th century - Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA 3.0 NZ)
Origins - Scotty Morrison explores the origins of the Māori people, visiting the Wairau Bar site which could be the first community in Aotearoa. Scotty tries to locate his hawaiki, his homeland, in the Pacific, but is hawaiki a real place or just a concept? - TVNZ - 15 September 2020 - 60 minutes [From eTV database]
Use MLCMBI index locate the relevant Minute Book. See the links below for the libraries that hold the Minute Books.