Post-settlement Governance Entities (Exemption from Jurisdiction of Māori Land Court) Bill
This bill stops a specific government court — the Māori Land Court — from having oversight of certain Māori tribal trusts that were set up after Treaty of Waitangi settlements. These trusts asked to be removed from that court's supervision because it was never meant to apply to them. The trusts can still voluntarily use the court to sort out disputes if all sides agree. Forty-six named trusts are included straight away, and other trusts can be added later through a government order.
What this affects
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The bill removes court supervision over trusts that manage land and assets received by Māori groups as part of Treaty of Waitangi settlements, because those trusts asked for this and it was always the original intention.
This Act confirms that the post-settlement governance entities named in or under this Act are, at the request of each trust, exempt from the supervisory jurisdiction of the Māori Land Court under Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993.
Applying this jurisdiction to PSGEs, contrary to that original intent, has the potential to impede post-settlement development, including the effective use of collective assets.
Despite section 236 of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993, sections 237 to 245 of that Act do not apply to an exempt trust.
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
Submissions open once a bill reaches the select committee stage and the committee calls for them. In the meantime, you can write to your local MP about it.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.