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)
Ngā tono $68 $68 applications Succession to Māori land Transfer of shares in Māori land Establishment of a trust over Māori land Adding, reducing, or removing trustees of a trust which manages Māori land Determining the ownership of structures on Māori land Occupation of Māori land Ngā tono $228 $228 applications Partition, subdivision, amalgamation and aggregation of Māori land Anything related to a Māori incorporation Roadways...
Use this form to seek Court confirmation of an instrument or agreement of sale or gift of Māori Land; or to confirm a resolution of assembled owners to transfer Māori Land by way of sale or gift.
Documents/Forms/MLC-Form-25-Confirmation-alienation.pdf (108 kb)
Shares in Māori freehold land are rarely transferred. Most pass by inheritance.
SUCCESSION ORDER An order of the Māori Land Court that transfers the land interests of a deceased person to their successors.
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/MLC-2023-Glossary-of-terms.pdf (278 kb)
If the trustees acquire further land or other assets for the purposes of the trust, that land becomes trust land, and the other assets become trust property.
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/Ahu-Whenua-Trust-Order-Template-18082025.pdf (444 kb)
Succession is the legal transfer of land interests or shares from a person who has passed away (the deceased) to their descendants.
In accordance with tikanga Māori there is no distinction to be drawn between whenua (land) that is dry and land that is covered by the sea.
Documents/Judges-corner-articles/JWI-ACPECT-Presentation-2022.pdf (540 kb)
Two types of Māori land are defined - Māori freehold land and Māori customary land.
In August 2020, the Government passed targeted changes to Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 to simplify the legal processes for owning, occupying and using Māori land. What has changed? Succession is the legal transfer of interests or shares in Māori land from a person who has passed away to the people who are legally entitled to own those interests.
