Due to limited access to the building, the Auckland Information Office is available by appointment only. Please contact us by email at mlctamakimakaurau@justice.govt.nz
Permission from trustees or Māori incorporation
Māori land is often managed by a trust or incorporation on behalf of the owners or shareholders. In this case, you can talk directly to the trustees about occupying or building on the land and they can approve your plans without court involvement, if the trust order allows it.
These discussions should focus on:
• the rights of beneficial owners and/or beneficiaries and shareholders
• the powers of trustees and committee of management members
• how trustees and committee members will perform their powers
• communicating with beneficial owners and/or beneficiaries and shareholders
• what will happen if there are disagreements.
Recording dividends
There is a new requirement on incorporations to record the
details of dividends paid to shareholders.
The record will include the name of each shareholder who
received a dividend, the amount paid to the shareholder and
the date of each payment.
Trustee responsibilities can include:
researching options for the whenua on behalf of owners
attending regular trustee meetings to discuss and debate plans for the trust
communicating with owners and organising hui for owners or trustees to discuss plans for the whenua
visiting the whenua regularly to check on the wellbeing of the land, and
working with people involved in the whenua or trust, such as a lessee, accountant, or management team.
Māori incorporations
Whenua owned by several people can be administered through a Māori incorporation, which becomes the legal owner of the land and assets vested in it. The landowners become shareholders, and own shares in the incorporation rather than in an individual land block.
For further information, please contact the Office of the Chief Registrar in Wellington, quoting the
appropriate application number at:
Physical address: Postal address:
L7, Fujitsu Tower, 141 The Terrace DX Box SX11203
WELLINGTON WELLINGTON
Phone: 04 914 3102
Fax: 04 914 3100
Email: mlc.chief-registrars.office@justice.govt.nz
STEVEN DODD
Chief Registrar, Māori Land Court and Māori Appellate Court
2
APPLICATION NO:
SECTION:
APPLICA...
For further information, please contact the Office of the Chief Registrar in Wellington, quoting the
appropriate application number at:
Physical address: Postal address:
L7, Fujitsu Tower, 141 The Terrace DX Box SX11203
WELLINGTON WELLINGTON
Phone: 04 914 3102
Fax: 04 914 3100
Email: mlc.chief-registrars.office@justice.govt.nz
STEVEN DODD
Chief Registrar, Māori Land Court and Māori Appellate Court
2
APPLICATION NO:
SECTION:
APPLICA...
But, it is my experience that not all owners will participate even with notice. It is not uncommon for a block of 100-200 owners, for meetings to attract less than 10 owners – and that is on a good day.
