Māori Land Court application guides
How to apply for partition of
Māori freehold land
Date produced: December 2025
Last modified: June 2026
Understanding partition
Types of partition
2
māorilandcourt.co.nz
Option three – Full partition
A full partition means some or all the new blocks may be transferred to people outside the existing
ownership, hapū or group associated with the land.
You can visit one of our offices to view:
current and historic ownership lists for whenua Māori
minutes of hearings of Court and Registrar decisions
current and historic memorial schedule information recording leases, occupations and other land uses
orders made by the court or a Registrar – including:
title orders (creating Māori land)
trust orders (names of trustees and terms of trust)
succession orders (names of successors to an estate)
vesting orders (transfers of shares in Māo...
Terms of the trust order
[Discussion notes and resolution]
Moved by: Seconded by: Move the resolution: Āe/Kāo
5. Ownership of dwellings/assets (if any)
[Discussion notes and resolution]
Moved by: Seconded by: Move the resolution: Āe/Kāo
6.
Ngā tono $68
$68 applications
Succession to Māori land
Transfer of shares in Māori land
Establishment of a trust over Māori land
Adding, reducing, or removing trustees of a trust which manages Māori land
Determining the ownership of structures on Māori land
Occupation of Māori land
Ngā tono $228
$228 applications
Partition, subdivision, amalgamation and aggregation of Māori land
Anything related to a Māori incorporation
Roadways, access, easements and surveys of Māori land
Co...
Protected Objects Act 1975
The Protected Objects Act 1975 has the power to determine ownership of any taonga tūturu found anywhere in Aotearoa New Zealand or within the territorial waters of New Zealand.
If you have an exact date or date
range – you can ask for staff to search records
for the given date or range
• Check the register of decisions on the Māori
Land Court website in the judgments section
(www.maorilandcourt.govt.nz/legislation-
decisions/)
• You can find minute book references for different
blocks or current ownership by searching our
Māori Land Online website
(www.maorilandonline.govt.nz)
• If you still can’t find your minute – you may need
to contac...
Landowners or representatives of the New Zealand Transport Agency or local council can apply for the returned ownership of a closed or stopped road to the original landowners.
(b) Promote title improvement by:
(i) granting or acquiring any type of right or interest in land;
(ii) subdividing any land;
(iii) bringing any application to the Māori Land Court that might facilitate the
operation of this trust and the improvement of title to land; and
(iv) forwarding to the registrar of the Māori Land Court in relation to the above any
instruments, titles, plans or other relevant documents for the purpose of
maintaining the records of title and ownership
Ki a tatou ngā mahuetanga o rātou mā, tēnā koutou,
tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Nau mai, kuhu mai.
Nau mai ki te tau kua hori mō Te Kooti Whenua
Māori.
In your application you will need to include:
A copy of the death certificate
The deceased person’s whakapapa information, including:
who were/are their parents
who were/are their brothers and sisters
who were/are their children
who were/are their partner(s)
This information will be used to research and confirm the ownership of SILNA interests.
Under the Settlement, succession must follow intestacy.
