1
Māori Land Update –
Ngā Āhuatanga o te whenua
June 2025 | Hune 2025
This update is issued by the Office of the Chief Registrar, Māori Land Court | Te Kooti Whenua Māori
to provide key statistics on Māori land, including the number and total area of Māori Customary Land
(MCL) and Māori Freehold Land (MFL) blocks, and howmany of these are managed by trusts or
incorporations versus those that are not.
Developed by judges for judges and published by Te Kura Kaiwhakawā (Institute of Judicial Studies), the bench book offers guidance on what judges may need to know, understand, and do when hearing applications in the Māori Land Court (the Court).
Te tono mō tētahi whakatau whakawhiti (utu tāpae $68)
Apply for a vesting order (filing fee $68)
To apply for a vesting order to transfer your Māori land interests or shares by gift, you’ll need to provide:
evidence of the relationship between the parties to establish that they are members of the preferred class of alienee (PCA)
evidence that you have discussed the transfer with your children or descendants (if you have any).
The reasonable fees and expenses of a person (other than a lawyer) who is eligible to be funded from special aid
3. I/We* do/do not* have a lawyer to assist with this application.
They can also submit applications and enquiries online and receive real time updates. “While we know that many landowners prefer to connect with us face-to-face or over the phone, we also know that younger generations are becoming increasingly digitally savvy and will prefer the self-sufficiency that Pātaka Whenua offers,” says Steve Gunson.
