Delivering for Māori and the whenua

  • Hon Andrew Little
  • Hon Nanaia Mahuta
Māori Development

The Government has today announced a strategic investment into the development of whenua, Māori freehold landowners and their whānau.

“Our focus is on stimulating social and economic development through the 1.4 million hectares of whenua Māori that remains in Māori freehold title,” says Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

“The Whenua Māori Programme recognises the challenges facing Māori freehold landowners and the value of pursuing opportunities which will lead to the sustainable and intergenerational development of the land and its people.”

Budget 2019 allocates $56.1 million over four years towards implementing the Whenua Māori Programme that Minister Mahuta announced in February this year.

The investment in the Whenua Māori Programme will enable regional on-the-ground advisory services in Te Tai Tokerau, Waiariki and Te Tairāwhiti;  the creation of a Whenua Knowledge Hub and website; new and enhanced services for the Māori Land Court; the modernisation of the Māori Land Court information systems and support for legislative amendments to Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993.

Minister Mahuta says the Programme will support Māori landowners, trustees and whānau across the spectrum, from those who are establishing ownership interests and governance structures through to owners who are ready to expand their operations and seek opportunities. This includes those landowners who are ready to apply to the Provincial Growth Fund. 

The cross-government programme is being co-led by Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry of Māori Development) and the Ministry of Justice.

Justice Minister Andrew Little says the changes proposed for the Māori Land Court will better support landowners to access justice services.

“The introduction of a tikanga-focussed dispute resolution service offers Māori landowners a way to settle matters outside of a formal court hearing,” says Minister Little.

Minister Little said that Māori landowners had told him that they feel the effort of engaging with the Court can outweigh the benefits.

“I want people who come to the Māori Land Court to feel they have more choices and control. This investment gives us an opportunity to take advantage of modern technologies and services to provide landowners with a better experience.”

Targeted amendments to Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 focused on simplifying the succession process, establishing a dispute resolution mechanism and improving services in the Māori Land Court, which will be introduced into Parliament later this year.

Minister Mahuta says, “this is an exciting and ambitious programme that I expect will significantly lift the intergenerational wellbeing of Māori landowners, their descendants and their regions for many years to come.”

Editor’s Notes

Funding for Whenua: $56.1 million total over four years
Regional whenua advisory services $19.9 million over four years
Whenua Knowledge Hub and website $10.3 million over four years
Succession/online forms/other $10.1 million over four years
New Māori Land Court technology $7.8 million over four years
Dispute resolution $5.5 million over four years
Programme management costs for Te Puni Kōkiri $1.6 million in 2019/20
Legislative process $0.9 million in 2019/20
Funding split across agencies:
Operating funding for Te Puni Kōkiri $32.6 million over four years
Operating funding for Ministry of Justice $21.4 million over four years
Capital funding for Ministry of Justice $2.1 million in 2019/20

He hua mā te iwi Māori me ōna whenua

Nō te rā tonu nei, kua pānuihia te rautaki haumi a te Kāwanatanga hei whakawhanake i te whenua, i ngā kaipupuri whenua Māori me ō rātou whānau.

"Ko tā mātou aronga nui, ko te whakawhanaketanga mai o te pāpori me te ao ōhanga mā te 1.4 miriona hekatea o te whenua Māori e noho tonu ana i raro i te taitara Māori herekore," te kī a te Minita Whanaketanga Māori, a Minita Nanaia Mahuta.

Kei raro i te kaupapa o Whenua Māori Programme kei te kitea ngā wero kei mua i te aroaro o ngā kaipupuri whenua Māori, waihoki ko te hua o te rapu ara e whanake tonu mai ai te whenua me ōna tāngata hei painga mā ngā whakatipuranga e heke mai ana," te kī a Miniata Mahuta.

Kei raro i te Tahua Pūtea 2019, kua tohua te $56.1 miriona, i roto i ngā tau e whā, hei whakaū i te Whenua Māori Programme, koia te kaupapa i pānuihia e Minita Mahuta i te marama o Huitanguru i tēnei tau.

Mā te pūtea haumi a te Whenua Māori Programme ka tū ngā ratonga ā-rohe ki Te Taitokerau, ki Waiariki me Te Tairāwhiti; ka hangaia te Whenua Knowledge Hub me tētahi pae tukutuku; ka whakahoungia, ka whakapaihia hoki ngā ratonga a te Kōti Whenua Māori; ka whakahoungia ngā pūnaha mōhiohio a te Kōti Whenua Māori; ka tautokona hoki ngā whakatikatika a Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993.

Hei tā Minita Mahuta, ka tautoko tēnei kaupapa i ngā kaipupuri whenua Māori, i ngā kaitiaki me ngā whānau huri noa i te motu, mai i te hunga e whai ana i ō rātou pānga whenua, e whakatū ana rānei i ngā rōpū whakahaere, tae atu ki te hunga e whakawhānui ana i ā rātou mahinga whenua, e kimi ana rānei i ngā momo ara mahi hou. Ka whai wāhi hoki ngā kaipupuri whenua e takatū ana ki te tono atu ki te Provincial Growth Fund.

He kaupapa kāwanatanga tēnei, e arahina ana e Te Puni Kōkiri me te Tāhū o te Ture.

Hei tā te Minita Take Ture, hei tā Andrew Little, mā ngā whakahoutanga a te Kōti Whenua Māori ka māmā ake te toro atu a ngā kaipupuri whenua ki ngā ratonga ā-ture.

"Mā te whakatūnga o tētahi ratonga whakatau nawe e arotahi ana ki ngā tikanga Māori, ka āhei ngā kaipupuri whenua Māori ki te whakatau i ngā take ki waho atu i ngā whakahaere ōkawa o te kōti," te kī a Minita Little

Hei tā Minita Little, ko te kī a ngā kaipupuri whenua ki a ia, he nui ake te mahi ki te tono i te Kōti, i ngā hua ka puta ake i aua tono.

"Ko taku hiahia, me nui ake ngā kōwhiringa me te mana whakahaere o te hunga e tae atu ana ki te Kōti Whenua Māori. Mā tēnei pūtea haumi, ka rongo tātou i te hua o ngā hangarau me ngā ratonga o te ao hou, hei painga mā ngā kaipupuri whenua."

Ko te whāinga a ngā whakahoutanga a Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, he whakamāmā i te tukanga tuku whenua, he whakatū i tētahi tukanga whakatau nawe me te whakapai ake i ngā ratonga a te Kōti Whenua Māori. Ka tukuna ngā whakahoutanga ki te Whare Pāremata i te roanga o tēnei tau.

Hei tā Minita Mahuta, "he kaupapa whakahirahira tēnei, he nui hoki ngā hua o roto, hei hiki i te oranga o ngā whakatipuranga o ngā kaipupuri whenua Māori, ō rātou uri me ō rātou rohe ā ngā tau maha e heke mai ana."

He tāpiringa nā te ētita

Ko te nui o te pūtea mā te Whenua: $56.1 miriona i ngā tau e whā
Ngā ratonga tāpae kōrero ā-rohe $19.9 miriona i ngā tau e whā
Whenua Knowledge Hub me te pae tukutuku $10.3 miriona i ngā tau e whā
Te tuku whenua/he puka ā-ipurangi/he aha atu anō $10.1 miriona i ngā tau e whā
He hangarau hou mā te Kōti Whenua Māori $7.8 miriona i ngā tau e whā
Te whakatau nawe $5.5 miriona i ngā tau e whā
He pūtea whakahaere mā Te Puni Kōkiri $1.6 miriona i te tau 2019/20
Ngā tūkanga ā-ture $0.9 miriona i te tau 2019/20
Ko te nui o te pūtea mā ngā tari whakahaere:
He pūtea whakahaere mā Te Puni Kōkiri $32.6 miriona i ngā tau e whā
He pūtea whakahaere mā te Tāhū o te Ture $21.4 miriona i ngā tau e whā
He pūtea rawa mā te Tāhū o te Ture $2.1 miriona i te tau 2019/20