Currently, the land is held in trust until the owners can receive the land.
You can combine Māori land, general land, or both, regardless of size, shape, location, or status.
tick as appropriate The land is not subject to any Trust The alienation is not in breach of any Trust to which the land is subject The alienee is a member of the preferred class of alienee being: Child(ren) or remoter issue of the alienor; or Whanaunga who are associated in accordance with tikanga Māori with the land; or Another owner in the land who is a member of the hapū associated with the land; or A trustee of any of the above three classes of perso...
Documents/Forms/MLC-Form-25-Confirmation-alienation.pdf (194 kb)
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.
All applications should be lodged with the Registrar in the District in which some of all of the land is located Fee: $23.00 If there is insufficient room on the form to provide the required infomation you should continue your application on a separate sheet of paper MĀORI LAND COURT CONTACT DETAILS This application mat be lodged with the Registrar at your local Māori Land Court office Office use: Application: ACCEPTED / REFUSED Dated: ..........................
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)
Important Note: If an undivided interest in land i.e. shares in a block is being transferred, section 148 of the Act requires the transferee to be a member of the preferred classes of alienees which comprise – • A child or remoter issue of the transferor. • Whanaunga who are associated in accordance with tikanga Māori with the land. • An owner in the land who is a member of the hapü associated with the land. • A trustee of a person belonging to 1 to 3 above. • A de...
For example, you will need to be able to record that a surviving spouse is entitled to income from a land interest that they do not own, and that some owners are not entitled to the income from their land interest.
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/Factsheet-Legislative-changes-affecting-trusts.pdf (303 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.
1 Māori Land Update – Ngā Āhuatanga o te whenua June 2025 | Hune 2025 This update is issued by the Office of the Chief Registrar, Māori Land Court | Te Kooti Whenua Māori to provide key statistics on Māori land, including the number and total area of Māori Customary Land (MCL) and Māori Freehold Land (MFL) blocks, and how many of these are managed by trusts or incorporations versus those that are not.
Documents/Maori-Land-Data/2025-10-28-MLC-Maori-Land-Update-2025.pdf (229 kb)
