If you are unsure of the fee that applies please contact your local Māori Land Court office for further assistance) MĀORI LAND COURT CONTACT DETAILS Applications should be lodged with the Registrar in the Māori Land Court District in which some or all of the lands or the subject matter of the application is located.
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 how many of these are managed by trusts or incorporations versus those that are not.
Documents/Maori-Land-Data/2025-10-28-MLC-Maori-Land-Update-2025.pdf (229 kb)
After they confirm who the owners are, the trustees will look at ways the land could be used to generate income and provide benefits for all owners.
Māori land can be brought together or divided among its owners in several ways to be managed, developed, or used.
• Ahu whenua trust This is the most common Māori land trust. It’s designed to promote the use and administration of the land in the interest of the owners.
Uploads/MOJ0217.1E-Maori-Land-Trusts-May19-v2-WEB.pdf (166 kb)
• Ahu whenua trust This is the most common Māori land trust. It’s designed to promote the use and administration of the land in the interest of the owners.
Uploads/MOJ0217-v2.1E-Maori-Land-Trusts-May19-v2-WEB.pdf (166 kb)
• Ahu whenua trust This is the most common Māori land trust. It’s designed to promote the use and administration of the land in the interest of the owners.
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/MOJ0217.1E-Maori-Land-Trusts-May19-v2-WEB.pdf (166 kb)
Approximately 42 per cent of Māori land is not under any governance entity. In some instances this is because the land has only one or just a few owners, or because the land is unsuitable for any form of development and owners have decided to leave it in its natural state.
Use this form to seek Court confirmation of an instrument or agreement of sale or gift of Māori Land; or to confirm a resolution of assembled owners to transfer Māori Land by way of sale or gift.
Documents/Forms/MLC-Form-25-Confirmation-alienation.pdf (125 kb)
This land is held in accordance with tikanga Māori, and unlike Māori freehold land, and there are no ‘legal owners’ of Māori customary land.
