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Legislative changes affecting incorporations
Effective from Waitangi Day, 6 February 2021
Register of interest and annual declaration
Māori incorporations must establish and maintain an interests
register for the Māori land held by the incorporation.
In 1993, the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act was introduced with the purpose of preventing the loss of any more Māori land – which currently makes up approximately 6% of all land in Aotearoa New Zealand. Today, many Māori landowners continue to act as collective kaitiaki of their whenua, to honour and protect their land as taonga-tuku-iho.
Legislative changes supporting
housing initiatives
Effective from Waitangi Day, 6 February 2021
Why make this change?
The changes in the Act respond to demand to build
papakāinga housing on Māori land for the purposes of
supporting Māori into housing and whānau to return to
their whenua.
Simple and uncontested
succession applications
Effective from Waitangi Day, 6 February 2021
Why make this change?
The time and travel costs associated with attending a court
sitting are removed when an application can be decided by a
registrar.
Legislative changes affecting trusts
Effective from Waitangi Day, 6 February 2021
Updated provisions for removing a trustee
The Act now allows for the Māori Land Court to remove a
trustee if it is satisfied that they have lost the capacity to
perform their functions as a trustee, or that their removal is
desirable for the proper execution of the trust (for example
because they repeatedly refuse or fail to act as a trustee, they
become an undischarged bankrupt, or they are no longer...
Dispute resolution service
Effective from Waitangi Day, 6 February 2021
What do I need to do?
If you want to make an application to the Māori Land Court
or you have an application already in the Māori Land Court
that is being delayed by a dispute, you can apply to use the
dispute resolution service to attempt to settle the dispute
outside of a court sitting.