Reflections after nearly 20 years as a Māori Land Court
01 Nov 2013 | NewsThe eyes were picked out of Aotearoa’s available land by successive Native Land Court regimes and rapidly converted to European land in the 19th and 20th Centuries.
The eyes were picked out of Aotearoa’s available land by successive Native Land Court regimes and rapidly converted to European land in the 19th and 20th Centuries.
Conclusion Setting aside land for a new urupā is a significant undertaking for the beneficial owners of the land.
Two types of Māori land are defined - Māori freehold land and Māori customary land.
Section 455 of the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 provides the Māori Land Court with the jurisdiction to identify successors and successors’ interests in SILNA lands.
Good governance is the key From the experiences of Māori Land Court Judges, good governance is the key to effective utilisation of Māori land held in multiple ownership.
1 CJ Media statement, “Note from Chief Justice Winkelmann” released 25 March 2020. 2 Māori Land Court COVID-19 Court protocol as at 23 March 2020. 3 Māori Land Court COVID-19 Court protocol as at 20 April 2020. 4 Māori Land Court COVID-19 Court protocol as at 12 May 2020.
She was sworn in as the Chief Judge of the Māori Land Court in August 2023. Her appointment to this role marks the first time since 1865 that a woman has led the Māori Land Court bench.
Now, landowners and other court users can choose to resolve disputes related to Māori land through a free tikanga-based dispute resolution service provided by the Māori Land Court.
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/Factsheet-Dispute-resolution-service-web-version.pdf (132 kb)
The Act now clarifies that Māori Land Court judges will follow the tikanga of the hapū or iwi associated with the land being succeeded to when deciding whether whāngai can succeed to a land interest.
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/Factsheet-Succession-for-whangai-web-version.pdf (172 kb)
Access to Māori land was generally considered when the title of the land was originally issued and in many cases: a roadway would have been created to give access to the land there may have already been a public or private roadway servicing the land, or a right of way to access land, across a neighbouring property, may have been put in place.