Whenua
Māori land

Before settlers arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand, tangata whenua cared for whenua as kaitiaki, or guardians, as hapū and whānau collectives. The way whenua was taken care of and how Māori lived on the land changed with the introduction of laws to allow for settler ownership.

As a result of those laws, tangata whenua were granted individual ownership of specific parcels of land or ‘interests’ in that whenua. Traditional whenua boundaries of hapū and whānau were changed and not all members were granted ownership. Individual land ownership made it easier for settlers to buy and sell land.  However, it was in major conflict with the traditional ways of land occupation and guardianship for tangata whenua.

In 1993, the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act was introduced with the purpose of preventing the loss of any more Māori land – which currently makes up approximately 6% of all land in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Today, many Māori landowners continue to act as collective kaitiaki of their whenua, to honour and protect their land as taonga-tuku-iho.

Our role as Te Kooti Whenua Māori is to facilitate and promote the retention and use of Māori land, and support whānau to occupy, develop and use their whenua.