Just before I wind up, I want to make a few brief comments about the Court and the Tribunal. For Te Kooti Whenua Māori this is a time of uncertainty. We await confirmation of the details and programme for the Government’s review of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act, and so now is not the time for comment from the judiciary.
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.
To celebrate this significant occasion a special evening event was organised where women judges of the Māori Land Court and the District Court talked to Māori women practitioners about their career paths and how they became judges. The practitioners were given a chance to mingle with the judges, to ask questions of them and, just as importantly, to form connections with other women lawyers.
Tuhinga Ārahi – Nama Pūtea mā Whenua Māori Practice Note for Lending on Whenua Māori View the Practice Note.
All applications were migrated to Pātaka Whenua and given a new application reference number.
If a water service provider asks for the landowner’s permission to enter the whenua and there is a disagreement, the provider and landowners go through an internal review process try and find a solution.
Māori Land Court National service for urgent injunction applications over holiday close down period Monday 29, Tuesday 30 and Wednesday 31 December 2025 How to submit an urgent injunction application over the holiday close down period https://www.māorilandcourt.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Forms/MLC-Form-1-General-application.pdf https://www.māorilandcourt.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Forms/MLC-Document-A1-request-waiver.pdf
Documents/Misc/Urgent-injunction-holiday-process-2025-26.pdf (658 kb)
All applications were migrated to Pātaka Whenua and given a new application reference number.
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.
The Māori Land Court uses legal words that might feel different from the cultural values that connect you to your whenua.
