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If you don’t agree with a decision made by the Māori Land Court, you can consider appealing the outcome of your application.

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There are three options available to appeal the outcome of your application:

  • You can apply for your rehearing of your application if you believe there is relevant evidence that was not provided to the Court when the decision was made, or if you are affected by the decision and did not get an opportunity to be heard by the Court prior to that decision being made.

     An application for a rehearing must be filed no more than 28 days after the original decision was made, unless there are reasons why the application could not have been submitted within this timeframe. In this situation, a Judge will need to approve the application for rehearing.

    The application will be heard in the court again and the new evidence, information, and circumstances will be considered. After the court hearing, the judge can confirm, change, or cancel any previous decision.

    This may not necessarily be heard by the same judge which made the original decision.

    Māori Appellate Court decision cannot be reheard.

    Request a rehearing in Pātaka Whenua

    Download the application form

  • If you think the Māori Land Court has made an error when making a decision about an application, you can apply to the Chief Judge to appeal the decision.

    You can do this if you believe:

    • They have relied on incorrect information to make a decision
    • They did not have all the necessary information to make the correct decision
    • The facts presented when the decision was made are incorrect

    In your application you will need to include:

    • any outcomes you are seeking because of the appeal
    • contact information for any person who may be affected, including those persons who will be affected if your appeal is successful (the respondents
    • you cannot introduce new evidence in an application for appeal.

    The Māori Appellate Court sits quarterly in February, May, August, and November of every year.

    Apply to appeal a decision in Pātaka Whenua

    Download the application form

  • If you disagree with a Māori Land Court or the Māori Appellate Court decision, you’re entitled to seek judicial review from the High Court of New Zealand. In a judicial review proceeding, a judge reviews the actions or decisions of the original judge to see whether they acted within their legal powers.

    Only a person affected by a decision can apply for a judicial review. If you’re considering this option, we recommend that you seek legal advice immediately. You should also ask your lawyer about the likely costs involved, as it can be expensive.

    An application for judicial review must be submitted to the High Court of New Zealand, not the Māori Land Court.

    For more information on the judicial review process, please contact your nearest High Court

Which appeal application should I file?

  • If you wish to appeal against a final decision or determination of the Māori Land Court, you can apply to the Māori Appellate Court to under section 58 of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act. 

    An application to appeal a decision must be submitted within two months of the final decision of the Māori Land Court.

    In your application you will need to include:

    • detailed evidence to support your appeal
    • any outcomes you are seeking as a result of the appeal
    • contact information for any person who may be affected, including those persons who will be affected if your appeal is successful (the respondents)

    The filing fee for this application is $385. 

    Apply online

    Download the application

  • If you wish to appeal an interim or preliminary decision or determination of the Māori Land Court which has outstanding matters for the court to address, you can apply to the Māori Appellate Court under section 59 of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act. 

    This application must be lodged within one month of the date of the interim or preliminary decision.

    In your application you will need to include:

    • detailed evidence to support your appeal
    • any outcomes you are seeking as a result of the appeal
    • contact information for any person who may be affected, including those persons who will be affected if your appeal is successful (the respondents)

    The filing fee for this application is $385. 

    Apply online

    Download the application form

Contact the Chief Registrar

The Office of the Chief Registrar is an information office that is open to the public. Applications to the Māori Appellate Court must be be lodged with the office of the Chief Registrar in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara.

Phone: 04 914 3000

Email: mlc.chief-registrars.office@justice.govt.nz

Postal address:

DX Box: SX11203
Wellington

Street address: 

Level 7, Fujitsu Tower
141 The Terrace
Wellington

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