Kaihatu Te Kenehi Teira, of Heritage New Zealand, said a wahi tupuna is a place important to Maori for ancestral significance and cultural and traditional values.
"Although Waitangi has clear cultural and historical significance for all New Zealanders, it is also a place of strong traditional associations with many tupuna significant to Maori - and Ngapuhi in particular," Mr Teira said.
Wahi tupuna is a new classification, and differs from wahi tapu, because the places do not necessarily adhere to the sacredness to Maori as wahi tapu.
Mr Teira said Waitangi has always been a place where inter-hapu relationships and alliances for the benefit of all Maori were discussed, as well as the birth of the bicultural New Zealand.
Parallel to this runs a stream of Maori history, tradition and culture - shaped by the lives, actions and decisions of many tupuna - that spans many generations.
"The wahi tupuna formally identifies and acknowledges these ancestral connections and values that make Waitangi so special. It also allows these connections to be shared and celebrated."
Waitangi National Trust chief executive Greg McManus is delighted that Waitangi is New Zealand's first wahi tupuna.
"The Trust is hugely honoured that Waitangi has been given this recognition. As the most important historic site in the nation it is appropriate to also recognise the special significance of the place to Maori and in particular Ngapuhi."
Compiled under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014, the New Zealand Heritage List / Rarangi Korero identifies the nation's heritage places.
The list is divided into five parts - Historic places, Historic areas, Wahi tupuna, Wahi tapu.
