Our key purpose is to promote the retention of Māori land in Māori hands, and to support landowners to use, occupy and develop their whenua for the benefit of all landowners, and their whānau and hapū.
Although written for judges, its public release promotes transparency in the justice system, assists Māori landowners and their advisors, and supports educational purposes.
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
It is good to kōrero with whānau about whāngai succession
before applying to succeed to a deceased landowner’s
interests. Make the outcome of those conversations known
when making your application.
These updates, made through the Māori Land Court Amendment Rules 2026, are designed to make it easier for Māori landowners and whānau to engage with the Court and have their matters dealt with efficiently and fairly.
Occupation orders can
now be granted not only to the landowner or any person
entitled to succeed to their interest, but also to beneficiaries
of the whānau trust that holds a beneficial interest in the
land.
This judgment is a significant milestone in the Māori Land Court and for Māori landowners. As the first fully bilingual judgment issued in its history, it signals the enhancement of te reo Māori in the Court.
Reports and accounts
The Trustees must:
(a) keep proper annual accounts;
(b) if the gross annual income of the Trust is greater than $10,000, arrange for the
annual accounts to be prepared by a chartered accountant;
(c) at each general meeting of the Beneficiaries, produce reports and accounts for
each year in respect of which they have not earlier presented reports and
accounts.
Finances
4.5 The trustees will receive and apply monies due and ensure that accounts are properly kept so that there is at
all times a good record of the finances of the marae.
4.6 The accounts need not be audited annually, but if serious questions are raised about the accounts, the
trustees will ensure that an audit of the accounts is undertaken by a suitably qualified person.
4.7 In any event, the trustees will ensure that an audit is undertaken not less than...
