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
20 July 2023
MEDIA STATEMENT
Chief Justice welcomes the appointment of
new Chief Māori Land Court Judge
The Chief Justice welcomes the announcement by Associate Minister of Māori
Development, the Hon Nanaia Mahuta, of Judge Caren Fox’s appointment as
Chief Judge of Te Kooti Whenua Māori | Māori Land Court.
Chief Judge Fox (Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Te Whānau a Apanui) is the 17th
Chief Judge of the Māori Land Court, and the first wahine Māori to hold the role....
In August 2020, the Government passed targeted
changes to Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 to simplify
the legal processes for owning, occupying and using
Māori land.
In August 2020, the Government passed targeted
changes to Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 to simplify
the legal processes for owning, occupying and using
Māori land.
Where the default duties listed in Schedule 1 conflict with provisions made in Te Ture
Whenua Maori Act 1993, the duty has been amended or expressly excluded.
However, “alienation” is broadly defined in Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993. For instance, an alienation includes the making or grant of any lease, licence, easement, mortgage or charge or any kind of encumbrance or trust in respect of the land in the reservation.
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.
In addition, there were requirements in Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 and previous legislation for the transmittal of Māori Land Court orders as to title, which had not been consistently applied.
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.
