This is the narrative of a piece of land in Te Tau Ihu – Aorere. It sets out how Judge Reeves dealt with an application for accretion and for determination of ownership, where ownership records had not been maintained for over 100 years.
There have, of course, been numerous ahu whenua trust orders with composite whānau trust-administered areas created since Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 gave statutory recognition to shareholdings within blocks according to discrete whakapapa groups.
Approximately 58 per cent of Māori land is currently held by governance entities provided for under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993. The Māori Land Court receives on average 1,600 applications per year in relation to the establishment and management of trusts and incorporations.
Enhancements include a waharoa at the entrance to the courtroom, improved spaces to support services such as Te Ratonga Whakatau Wenerau our Dispute Resolution Service, and dedicated secure storage for court records and taonga.