Source: New Zealand Government
Māori land owners will be better supported to resolve disputes and build papakāinga housing on their whenua with targeted changes to Te Ture Whenua Māori Act now becoming law.
“The changes to the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act represent a major step forward in the Government’s Whenua Māori Programme to help whānau achieve their aspirations for their whenua,” says Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta.
“Māori land owners have unique challenges to developing their land, including complex rules and regulations, multiple ownership in land blocks and people not succeeding to their land interests.
“The passing of Te Ture Whenua Māori (Succession, Dispute Resolution, and Related Matters) Amendment Bill ensures the legislation works better for land owners and fixes some of the barriers to succeeding Māori land.”
The new legislation will improve the process for uncontested succession applications, introduces a tikanga-based mediation service to help whānau resolve disputes more quickly, and makes is easier for whānau to use their whenua for housing.
“New and enhanced Māori Land Court processes and services will reduce the time and costs to whānau and encourage more people to connect with their whenua, while the expertise of Māori Land Court Judges is harnessed, across a wider range of matters of importance to land owners.
“The new legislation also allows for occupation orders to be granted to beneficiaries of a whānau trust, and removes obstacles to funding for development of papakāinga housing on Māori Reservations.
“I want to thank those who submitted on this Bill offering valuable perspectives that could test the intent of the changes being proposed.
“These changes sit alongside other work i am advancing in relation to the rating of whenua Māori that I intend to progress to support the aspirations of Māori Land owners,” says Minister Mahuta.
Editor’s notes:
The new legislative provisions include:
· Simple and uncontested succession applications agreed by the whole whānau being able to be received, confirmed and recorded by a Registrar of the Māori Land Court, instead of by way of a full court process
· The potential for whānau to resolve disputes through a free tikanga-based mediation service.
· Leases and occupation licenses on Māori Reservations being able to be granted for a period longer than 14 years, and for occupation orders to be granted to beneficiaries of a whānau trust.
· Greater clarification of the process for succession by whāngai.
· Making it easier for descendants to be involved as land owners in decision-making about their whenua when a deceased owner is survived by their spouse or partner.
· The Māori Land Court being able to deal with a wider range of matters relating to Māori land and for improvements in the way the Māori Land Court functions in line with other courts. This includes:
- the ability to appoint experts in tikanga Māori and whakapapa
- the ability to hold judicial settlement conferences to resolve disputes
- expanding the remedies available to enforce a decision made by the court
- greater transparency and better alignment of the governance practices of Māori land trusts and incorporations..
· Other changes strengthen the protection of and access to whenua Māori.
More information about the Act is available at www.tpk.nz/whenua and at www.parliament.nz/en/pb/bills-and-laws/
He mea awhina whānau ngā huringa ki te ture whenua
Ka nui ake te tautoko ki ngā kaipupuri whenua Māori ki te whakatau tautohe, hanga whare papakāinga hoki ki runga i tō rātou ake whenua mā te whakaturetanga o ngā huringa matawhāiti ki Te Ture Whenua Māori.
“He mea nui ēnei huringa ki Te Ture Whenua Māori, mō te taha ki te Kaupapa Whenua Māori a Te Kāwanatanga hei āwhina noa iho i ngā whānau kia whakatutuki rātou i ō rātou wawata mō ō rātou whenua“ te kī a Te Minita Whanaketanga Māori Nanaia Mahuta.
“He ahurei ngā whakapātaritari a ngā kaipupuri whenua Māori ki te whakawhanaketanga a ō rātou whenua, ngā ture matatini me ngā whakaritenga, ngā poraka whenua me ōna tini kaipupuri tae atu ki te hunga kāore anō rātou kia whakawhiwhia ki ō rātou whenua.
“Nā te whakamanatanga o Te Whakahou ki Te Ture Whenua Māori (Te Kaupapa Whakatau Tautohe Whakawhiwhinga me Ngā Take Whai Pānga) ka mātua whakarite te Pire Whakarerekē ka whai hua ngā kaipupuri whenua i te ture, ka whakatikaina hoki ētahi o ngā ārai ki te whakawhiwhinga ki te whenua.”
Ka whakapikitia e te ture hou te tukanga ki ngā tono whakawhiwhi tautohe-kore, he whakarite i te ratonga takawaenga whai tikanga hei āwhina i ngā whānau ki te whakatau tere i ngā tautohe, kia māmā ake hoki te wāhi ki ngā whānau me te whakamahinga i tō rātou whenua.
“Mā ngā tukanga me ngā ratonga hou, whakarei hoki a Te Kooti Whenua Māori e heke te wā me ngā utu ki ngā whānau e whakatenatena hoki i ētahi atu tāngata ki te whai hononga anō ki ō rātou whenua, ā, ki te horahia ai te tohungatanga o ngā Kaiwhakawā o Te Kooti Whenua Māori, puta noa i te whānuitanga ake o ngā take nui ki ngā kaipupuri whenua.
“Mā te ture hou e āhei hoki te whakaaetanga o ngā whakahau wheta ki ngā kaiwhiwhi o te tarahiti whānau, ka tangohia hoki ngā aukatinga ki te whakawhanaketanga o ngā whare papakāinga ki runga i ngā Tāpuitanga Māori.
“Kei te hiahia mihi au ki te hunga nāna ngā kōrero i whakatakoto mai e pā ana ki tēnei Pire, e whakaatu mai ana i ngā tirohanga hei whakamātau i te wairua o ngā huringa e whakaarohia ana.
“Kei te taha ēnei huringa o ētahi atu mahi e kōkirihia ana e au e whai pānga ana ki te whakatauranga o te whenua Māori he mea e hiahia hoki ana au te kōkiri hei tautoko i ngā wawata o ngā kaipupuri Whenua Māori“ te kī a Minita Mahuta.
Ngā taipitopito a te Etita:
Kei roto i ngā whakaritenga ture hou:
- E āhei ana, ngā tono ngāwari me ngā tono tautohe-kore e whakaaetia ana e te whānau katoa, te whiwhi, te whakamana, te hopu hoki i te Pouroki o Te Kooti Whenua Māori noa iho, kaua kē mā te tukanga nui a te kōti.
- He huarahi hei whakatutuki pea i ngā tautohe mā te ratonga takawaenga whai tikanga utu-kore.
- E ahei ana ngā rīhi me ngā raihana wheta mō ngā Tāpuitanga Māori te whakamana mō tētahi wā roa ake i te 14 tau, ā, kia whakamanatia ngā whakahau wheta a ngā kaiwhiwhi o tētahi tarahiti whānau.
- He mārama ake te tukanga mō te whakawhiwhinga whenua i te whāngai.
- E whakangāwari ana i te wāhi ki ngā uri whakaheke kia whai wāhi mai ā-kaipupuri whenua ki ngā whakatau e pā ana ki ō rātou whenua i te rironga o te whenua ki tētahi hoa rangatira, hoa rānei o tētahi kaipupuri whenua i tōna matenga.
- Ka whānui nui ake ngā take hei kōkiri mā Te Kooti Whenua Māori e pā ana ki te whenua Māori, ā, ki ngā whakatikatika hoki ki te āhua o te momo whakahaere a Te Kooti Whenua Māori i te taha o ētahi atu kōti.
- Kei roto i tēnei:
- ko te āhei ki te kopou i ngā mātanga tikanga Māori, whakapapa hoki
- te āhei ki te whakatū hui whakatau ā-ture hei whakatau i ngā tautohe
- e whakawhānui ana i ngā rongoā e wātea ana ki te whakaū i te whakatau nā te kōti
- kia mārama ake, kia hāngai ake ngā tikanga kāwanatanga o ngā tarahiti me ngā kaporeihana whenua Māori.
- Kei te whakapakari ētahi atu huringa i te whakamarumarutanga o, me te urunga ki, te whenua Māori.
E wātea ana ētahi atu pārongo mō te Ture ki www.tpk.nz/whenua me www.parliament.nz/en/pb/bills-and-laws/
