The Courts regard any breach of trust as a very serious matter, and if trustees are found to be at fault, they can expect to pay for any losses that they have caused.
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/MOJ0217.1E-Maori-Land-Trusts-May19-v2-WEB.pdf (166 kb)
You will also need to be clear what the plan is for building on the land, including who the housing is for.
If the will includes provisions for Māori land interests and who they should be left to, the administrators of the estate can complete a certificate by administrator.
Two sections of the Trustee Act 1956 that were used from time to time by Māori land trusts have been carried over to the new Trusts Act: • Trustees may apply to the Māori Land Court for directions about the trust property or the use of their powers or functions.1 • The Māori Land Court may relieve a trustee from personal liability if they have acted honestly and reasonably and ought to be excused for a breach.2 Do trusts need a...
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/Factsheet-for-landowners-Trustee-Act.pdf (68 kb)
A further complication is that section 338(12) provides that the trustees of a Māori reservation may, with the consent of the Court, grant a lease or occupation licence of a reservation for a term not exceeding 14 years (including any term or terms of renewal).
Apply online Download the application form Download the trustee consent form Te whakawātea i tētahi kaitiaki (utu tāpae $68) Remove a trustee (filing fee $68) Trustees can be removed for a variety of reasons.
Whakapapa of any person who is receiving shares in Māori land. Explanatory Notes Where undivided interests or shares in Māori land are to be exchanged the Court has no power to make an order unless the person receiving the shares in a block is either - (i) a child or remoter issue of the owner in that block of the shares to be exchanged, or (ii) a descendant of any former owner who is or was a member of the hapū associated with the land, or (iii) a...
Becoming a trustee is a big commitment. While it can be difficult and time-consuming, it can also be very rewarding.
Through further research I have been able to understand that interests previously held by my grandparents and great-grandparents had been compulsorily acquired by the Māori Trustee, taken for public works or sold. Of the lands that remain we have been able to use those as a basis for increasing the cohesiveness amongst our generation and they are a focal point for discussion at whānau hui.
The Registrar may, on receiving your notification, arrange for the application to be set down for a formal hearing before a Judge.
