The special bond between Māori people and the land is recognised by the Māori Land Court, and the records held by this Court form an invaluable part of the whakapapa of all Māori.
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/MOJ0217.1E-Maori-Land-Trusts-May19-v2-WEB.pdf (166 kb)
Justice Joe Williams himself was the Chief Judge of the Maori Land Court before his appointment to the higher courts, and indeed the Chief Judge before him, the Honourable Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie, is also an alumnus. And although the records on the earliest Judges of the Court are often incomplete, it appears that Judge Hugh Fraser Ayson was the first VUW graduate to be appointed as a Judge of this Court.
If you wish to oppose or take part in these proceedings, you must complete a notice of intention to appear (2 forms of notice are attached).
The judge may also order any person to provide copies of records, reports, and reasons for decisions related to the incorporation, and to assist the examining officers with their review.
Below is an example only of this section for an application to Amend a name in the court record. Once you have filled in the required details for your application type, scroll down and click “Continue” to move to the next section.
How-do-I-user-guides/Submitting-an-application-v1-6.pdf (2.2 mb)
Ngā puka taupānga me te puka Tarahiti Succession and Trust application forms External link Form 20: Certificate by administrator Rule 10.2(3), Sections 111 or 113 (PDF 85 kb) External link Form 21: Succession (grant of administration) Rule 10.2(2)(a), Sections 113 and 117 (PDF 865 kb) External link Form 22: Succession (no grant of administration) Rule 10.2(1),(2), Sections 113 and 118 (PDF 617 kb) External link Form 23: Application for whānau trust...
There is a new requirement for Māori incorporations to record the details of the dividends paid to shareholders.
Contact Phone Number(s): Home: Work: Mobile: Email Address: NOTE: (1) Where email addresses are given these may be used as a means of notice and service; and (2) As well as filing this notice in the Court, you must also send a copy to the applicant.
Once again, some of the larger, more sophisticated trusts have included in their trust orders reference to the specific newspapers that are to be used for notice purposes and the frequency with which the notice must run as well as reference to iwi radio and tribal newspapers for example.
That written notice must be filed in the Māori Land Court not later than 4.00pm, Friday 23rd January 2026.
