Proposed Māori Land Service
Introduction - Arapeta Tahana
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Te Ture Whenua Māori Act Reforms and the Māori Land Service (MLS) design
- Te Ture Whenua Māori Act reforms have been underway for several years, a key aspect of the reforms is the Māori Land Service (MLS)
- TPK have undertaken consultation throughout the motu to seek land owners views on the MLS
- The proposed MLS will consolidate existing services available to Māori land owners and provide some new services through a single doorway. It’s expected to open its doors 18 months after Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill passes.
Core functions of the Māori Land Service
The Bill provides for a range of services to be provided through the proposed new Māori Land Service:
- Māori Land Information and Registry Services – maintaining and updating a register of Māori land owner decisions, ownership and governance information.
- Owner Decision Making Services – service to support owners in relation to their interests and effective governance and management arrangements for their land.
- Dispute Resolution Services – service to resolve disputes relating to land based on tikanga Māori. With further work on the fourth service:
- Advisory and Development Services – advice relating to the productive use of land.
This is where we come in...
Te Arawa Regional Case Study
The management of Te Ture Whenua Māori Land is critical to the people of Te Arawa and our cultural, social, environmental and economic wellbeing. Te Arawa has a vested interest in the success of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act reforms and the establishment of a ‘fit for purpose’ MLS.
Te Arawa Primary Sector Group (TAPS) has been contracted by TPK to undertake a regional Case Study that will help inform the advisory and development services that may be offered in the future and is tasked with achieving the following:
- Identifying Māori Freehold Land available for development;
- Consulting with owners/governors on the information to see how it can be used;
- Looking at what government programmes are available in each region and how this information can be used to identify opportunities and service gaps;
- Reports owner’s experiences accessing regional economic land services;
- Identifies how strategic alignment between economic strategies can be made; and
- Outlines expected regional productivity/gains and investment returns.
Consultation
We have held a series of wānanga, focus groups and interviews with Te Arawa chairs, land owners, trustees and whānau. The focus of these hui has been to understand Te Arawa’s aspirations to the whenua, what challenges there have been to achieve these aspirations. We are also examining how the proposed MLS can provide for solutions to these issues.
Click here for a copy of the wānanga presentation.
Whats next?
The Te Arawa Maori Land Service project created great interest with its comprehensive approach to development within Te Arawa. However, the Maori Land Service is now under review by the new government. We are hopeful that work completed within this project will develop into new initiatives in the near future.
For more information on the MLS project, please contact:
Kerri-Anne Hancock
TAPS MLS Project Manager
E: kerri.hancock@kaupare.co.nz