June 03, 2015
New role for Maori Land Court
The role of Maori Land Court judges will be reduced if reform of Te Ture Whenua Maori goes ahead.
The proposed changes to Maori land law were unveiled at two hui in Auckland yesterday, which is part of a national consultation round.
Lawyer Linda Te Aho, a member of a ministerial advisory group that is helping to draft the bill, says the reform is looking at mechanisms to support owners and create more effective governance.
She says the aim is to put decision making power back in the hands of owners rather than judges.
"The Maori Land Court remains a key instition in the bigger picture, more as a judicial body, a place where you go as a last port of call rather than a first port of call," she says.
Linda Te Aho says much of the work of the court, like successions, is now done by administrative staff, and then rubber-stamped by judges, and that work could be handed off to a new Maori Land Service.
Copyright © 2015, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com