Succession to Māori land is through whakapapa or descent, which means that these records are also a rich continuing resource for Māori over time for identifying interests in land.
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/MLC-2017-03-03-RDS-Report.pdf (1.1 mb)
Before 6 February 2021 Succession applications are decided by Māori Land Court judges.
I went on to discover however that at the time those succession applications were made, various Māori land interests had not been identified by the Court and were not included in the 1967 orders.
Why make this change? Succession to Māori land interests can be complex for whānau and for whāngai, and Māori land is often owned by members of different whānau (with different views on whāngai succession).
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/Factsheet-Succession-for-whangai-web-version.pdf (172 kb)
Successions are ongoing until the land is transferred to the successors.
In his classic book Māori Land Tenure (1977) Sir Hugh Kawharu wrote that the system of Māori land tenure created by the Native Lands Act of 1865 was an ‘engine of destruction for any tribe’s tenure of land, anywhere’ (p 15).
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/MLC-150-years-of-the-Maori-Land-Court.pdf (11 mb)
an amalgamation can include general land 12 and Māori land. if it does, the resulting block will be Māori land.
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/MLC-title-improvement-english.pdf (385 kb)
an amalgamation can include general land 12 and Māori land. if it does, the resulting block will be Māori land.
(iii) That there are no disputes as to succession or issues to be settled before an order can be made.
Documents/Forms/MLC-Form-21-Application-for-succession2F.pdf (370 kb)
For the Māori Land Court, our focus is on being able to progress the successions as quickly as we can in order to update the lists of successors so that meetings of successors can be called.
