Abstract: Previous studies have focused largely on medium-to-large sized submarine canyons, with relatively little attention paid to small dendritic ones developed at canyon heads. We used high-resolution 3D seismic data to investigate the seismic stratigraphic characteristics and sedimentary evolution of the Oligocene buried dendritic tributary canyons located at the head of the Bounty Submarine Canyon System on the eastern continental slope offshore South Island, New Zealand. Through seismic sequence analysis, six seismic sequences separated by seven seismic horizons with reflection terminations were identified within the Oligocene strata. By seismic depositional element analysis, three depositional elements were identified, which are scour train, U-shaped valley, and open slope, respectively. The scour train, composed of multiple scours linearly arranged downslope, was identified as a train of supercritical turbidity-current bedforms. Within each sequence, the scours were vertically evolved from erosional to partially depositional cyclic steps. The train of scours comprises a discontinuous tributary canyon, possibly representing an early stage of dendritic canyons. The U-shaped valley appears as a downslope-extending straight depressions in plan view, filled with alternating turbidites and hemipelagites and minor debris-flow deposits, and was interpreted as a straight tributary canyon. Subparallel reflections with polygonal faults in the open slope environment were interpreted as fine-grained hemipelagic sediments. The development of the discontinuous tributary canyons is episodic. The scours gradually decreased in quantity and were filled by fine-grained sediments over time. The straight tributary canyon showed lateral migration in the upstream and aggradation in the downstream. The evolution of both tributary canyons was controlled by factors including sea-level change, sediment supply, and slope gradient.