Whenua
Land from a Māori perspective
Learning Outcomes
I’m here to learn surveying what’s this got to do
with me?
• The importance of the Māori perspective of land
• What land tenure means for Māori
• What you need to know before engaging with Māori
Faculty of Technology & Built Environment
Civil Engineering
Acts
Land: A Māori Perspective
Faculty of Technology & Built Environment
Civil Engineering
Acts
Whatu ngarongaro te tangata
Toitu te whenua
Man comes and goes
land is permanent
Faculty of Technology & Built Environment
Civil Engineering
Acts
• New Zealand Company 1844
• Native Lands Act 1862 & 1865
• New Zealand Settlements Act 1863
• The Local Government Act 1974 & Public Works Act
Faculty of Technology & Built Environment
Civil Engineering
Source: Claudia Orange, Illustrated history of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Wellington: Bridget Williams Books, 2001, pp. 318–319
Acts
Acts
• Resource Management Act 1991
• Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993
Civil Engineering
How?
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Understand Māori land tenure
Receive and understand instruction
Collect and verify all relevant survey and title data
Carry out field survey and report anomalies to owners or
clients and resolve them
Ensure that the orders or amended orders are to hand and
the final Māori land plan is representative
Lodge plan with digital certification
File copy with client and Māori Land Court case manager
Follow up with case manager after approval of cadastral
survey dataset to confirm that the internal transactions
between MLC and LINZ have created a new title
Faculty of Technology & Built Environment
What does this mean for you!
When Dealing with Māori about land;
• You will be relied upon to confirm the completeness of the data
• Therefore you are charged with the duty to;
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Collect and verify the title data
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Collect and verify the survey data
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Report any anomalies
• Understand significant areas that are designated culturally
significant sites;
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Wāhi tapu
Civil Engineering
Example
Source: David Rankilor – see bibliography
For armed is for warned
• Be prepared to go through a welcome/pōwhiri/whakatau.
• Always check how you will be welcomed or introduced
to the space you are going to survey.
• Either prepare yourself for a mihi, or, ensure you know
someone that you can take to do this on your behalf.
• Always check that the area you will be surveying is clear of
culturally significant sites, or
• you are clear where those sites are and treat them
appropriately
• That you have permission from the local Māori authority to
enable you to complete your work.
Faculty of Technology & Built Environment
Sources
Orange, C Illustrated history of New Zealand, 2001, Wellington, Bridget Williams
Rankilor, D Better utilisation of Māori Land – Part One, Survey Quarterly, September
(67), 2011 pp 10-13
Rankilor, D Better use of Māori Land – Part Two, Survey Quarterly, September (68),
2011 pp 14-17
Strack, M., Jeffery, E., Access to landlocked Māori land, New Zealand Surveyor, 2009
(299), pp 31-35
Strack, M Māori land title reconstruction, Survey Quarterly, June (66), 2011 pp 23-25
Strack, M Māori Land Loss: A study of the processes of alienation – The Taieri
Native Reserve, New Zealand Surveyor (296), December pp 13-19
Faculty of Technology & Built Environment
Civil Engineering