For office contact details, go to
www.māorilandcourt.govt.nz/contact-us
To download a form from our website, go to
www.māorilandcourt.govt.nz/application-forms
You can also find out more online at
www.māorilandcourt.govt.nz/disputes
When we roll out our new technology system, you will be
able to make this application online via the Māori Land
Court website.
In his classic book Māori Land Tenure
(1977) Sir Hugh Kawharu wrote that the system
of Māori land tenure created by the Native Lands
Act of 1865 was an ‘engine of destruction for
any tribe’s tenure of land, anywhere’ (p 15).
The judge or registrar may issue an order giving the whāngai child the right to occupy a family home on the land, or to receive all or part of any income from the land interest, or both.
Pātaka Whenua Guidance
Registered User Guide
Date produced: 15 August 2023
Last modified: 13 December 2023
māorilandcourt.govt.nz
Registered User Guide
Te Kooti Whenua Māori – Māori Land Court
Being a registered user means you can:
• Create and submit applications online
• Save and return to your incomplete applications
• Track progress on your applications
• Pay filing fees
• Submit enquiries
• Receive notifications on your applications and enquiries from the c...
Step 1
In your web browser, visit the Māori Land Court website www.māorilandcourt.govt.nz and click
the green tab in the top right area labelled“Pātaka Whenua – our online portal”.
Some people become landowners when a whānau member transfers land to them by gift or sale. The Maori Land Court will ‘vest’ the land interest by way of a vesting order.
To access the survey, please click the following link: Pātaka Whenua (our online portal) - Court User Survey
Māori Land Court User Survey 2025
If you have any questions, please contact us by email at te.tiratu@justice.govt.nz
Apply online
Download the application form Finances and mortgages
Māori land can be used to secure finance or a mortgage just like any other interest in land.
