Porirua based iwi Ngati Toa Rangatira, has retaken ownership of Kapiti and Mana islands from the Crown

The Crown has vested ownership of both islands as part of their 2014 Te Tiriti settlement, ten years after it was enacted into law.

The islands are designated Nature and Scientific Reserves by the Department of Conservation, but Ngati Toa says the vesting won't impact conservation status or management.

Board chair Callum Katene, says the vesting is a legal mechanism, but it's their tikanga that determines responsibilities and relationship with the islands.