There have, of course, been numerous ahu whenua trust orders with composite whānau trust-administered areas created since Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 gave statutory recognition to shareholdings within blocks according to discrete whakapapa groups.
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.
Where the default duties listed in Schedule 1 conflict with provisions made in Te Ture
Whenua Maori Act 1993, the duty has been amended or expressly excluded.
In addition, there were requirements in Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 and previous legislation for the transmittal of Māori Land Court orders as to title, which had not been consistently applied.
Enhancements include a waharoa at the entrance to the courtroom, improved spaces to support services such as Te Ratonga Whakatau Wenerau our Dispute Resolution Service, and dedicated secure storage for court records and taonga.