Te Ranga Huatau
Ngā Rangahautira at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington has released Te Ranga Huatau 2026. The Māori Law Review is pleased to offer support to bring online access to articles in this edition.
Te Kōti Pīra – Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction - declaration of inconsistency - legislative settlement of Waitangi Tribunal claim - Wairarapa Moana ki Pouākani Incorporation v Attorney-General [2026] NZCA 255 - Craig Linkhorn
Te Kōti Pīra Māori – Māori Appellate Court
2026 Māori Appellate Court judgments - index
Te Kōti Whenua Māori – Māori Land Court
Taonga tūturu - definition of "found" under the Protected Objects Act 1975 - Preece - Taonga Tūturu found at Rēkohu/Wharekauri (2026) 106 Te Waipounamu MB 217 - Elizabeth Derby
Procedure - stay of proceedings while similar proceedings before the High Court - Gibbs v Te Āhuru Trustee Company Ltd - Lot 1 DP 4866 and Section 1 SO 10359 (2026) 543 Aotea MB 4 - Elizabeth Derby
Trusts - establishment of whenua tōpū trust - jurisdiction to vest Māori customary land - Deputy Registrar v Davis - Mataimoana (Māori Customary Land) (2026) 540 Aotea MB 91 - Elizabeth Derby
Injunction - interim injunction application on a without notice basis - Hart v Kuru - Whawhakanga 1B Ahu Whenua Trust (2026) 134 Tākitimu MB 103 - Elizabeth Derby
Trusts - replacement of trustees - enforcement of obligations of trust - Ngahere-Pompey v Green - Allotment 62D Parish of Waipa (Waingaro Marae) (2026) 303 Waikato Maniapoto MB 182 - Elizabeth Derby
Trusts - jurisdiction to review actions of Ngāti Pāoa Trust Board as former sole responsible trustee of Waiheke Station Trust - Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust v Ngāti Pāoa Trust Board - Allotment of Parish 20 Waiheke and others (Waiheke Station) (2026) 303 Waikato Maniapoto MB 30 - Elizabeth Derby
2026 Māori Land Court judgments - index
Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Waitangi Tribunal
Legislation - references to Treaty principles - Te Tinihanga o Ngā Mātāpono: The Urgent Report on the Treaty Principles Reform (Wai 3565, 2026)
Hauora - health and disability services - Hauwhaikaha - the Disability System Report- pre-publication version (Wai 2575, 2026)
Tāmati Durie-McGrath (he/him; Rangitāne, Ngāti Kauwhata, Ngāti Rangatahi, Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Tuwharetoa) discusses the function of mana and whakapapa within te ao Māori legal constructs through an examination of Ngāti Raukawa's narratives.
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Emma Barnes-Wetere (she/her; Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto) reflects on the intersection of law, culture, identity, and place, shaped by her experience on a student exchange at Esade Law School in Barcelona.
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Eruera Raine (he/him; Ngāti Kahu) discusses the differences between whakapapa and the Western concept of "citizenship" and considers the pathway towards tikanga-based citizenship.
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Savannah Cowan (she/her; Ngāpuhi, Ngāruahine, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Kauwhata) discusses whakapapa in family law through an analysis of the 2024 High Court appeal in Mable v Rangi. Note that the names of the parties to these proceedings have been modified.
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E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e nga karangatanga maha, tēnei te reo whakamihi atu ki a koutou! Nau piki mai, nau kake mai ki te kohikohinga kōrero nei, e kī ai ko Te Ranga Huatau! read more
Amiria Tikao (she/her; Kāi Tahu (Kāti Irakehu, Kāi Tarewa, Ngāi Tūāhuriri)) discusses the duty of active protection in the context of environmental decisionmaking in light of the recent case Climate Clinic Aotearoa Inc v Minister for Energy and Resources.
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Noah Wineti (he/him; Ngāti Whakaaue, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Te Rangi, Te Whakatōhea) and PJ Wana (he/him; Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe) consider the recognition of whakapapa-derived decision-making in state legal processes.
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Amaia Watson (she/her; Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairoa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Rongomaiwahine) contemplates the constitutional authority for the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) (Customary Title) Amendment Act 2025.
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Ngārewarewa Tata (she/her; Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāi Tai, Rongowhakaata) imagines a legal system governed by the law of whakapapa.
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Phaedra Chin (she/her; Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri) and Savannah Cowan (she/her; Ngāpuhi, Ngāruahine, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Kauwhata) reflect on the legacy of Ngā Rangahautira and look forward to the future.
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Patricia Waugh (she/her; Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Mākino, Ngāti Rongomai) discusses shared authority in the resource management space and the work still to be done to reach a transformed Aotearoa.
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Te Kōti Mana Nui - Supreme Court
Procedure - leave to appeal - Crown Forest Assets Act 1989 - Ruru v Attorney-General [2026] NZSC 79 - Elizabeth Derby
Te Kōti Pīra – Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction - declaration of inconsistency - legislative settlement of Waitangi Tribunal claim - Wairarapa Moana ki Pouākani Incorporation v Attorney-General [2026] NZCA 255 - Craig Linkhorn
Te Kōti Pīra Māori – Māori Appellate Court
2026 Māori Appellate Court judgments - index
Te Kōti Whenua Māori – Māori Land Court
Taonga tūturu - definition of "found" under the Protected Objects Act 1975 - Preece - Taonga Tūturu found at Rēkohu/Wharekauri (2026) 106 Te Waipounamu MB 217 - Elizabeth Derby
Procedure - stay of proceedings while similar proceedings before the High Court - Gibbs v Te Āhuru Trustee Company Ltd - Lot 1 DP 4866 and Section 1 SO 10359 (2026) 543 Aotea MB 4 - Elizabeth Derby
Trusts - establishment of whenua tōpū trust - jurisdiction to vest Māori customary land - Deputy Registrar v Davis - Mataimoana (Māori Customary Land) (2026) 540 Aotea MB 91 - Elizabeth Derby
Injunction - interim injunction application on a without notice basis - Hart v Kuru - Whawhakanga 1B Ahu Whenua Trust (2026) 134 Tākitimu MB 103 - Elizabeth Derby
Trusts - replacement of trustees - enforcement of obligations of trust - Ngahere-Pompey v Green - Allotment 62D Parish of Waipa (Waingaro Marae) (2026) 303 Waikato Maniapoto MB 182 - Elizabeth Derby
Trusts - jurisdiction to review actions of Ngāti Pāoa Trust Board as former sole responsible trustee of Waiheke Station Trust - Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust v Ngāti Pāoa Trust Board - Allotment of Parish 20 Waiheke and others (Waiheke Station) (2026) 303 Waikato Maniapoto MB 30 - Elizabeth Derby
2026 Māori Land Court judgments - index
Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Waitangi Tribunal
Urgent report - Te Tinihanga o Ngā Mātāpono: The Urgent Report on the Treaty Principles Reform (Wai 3565, 2026)
Ngā Whakaturetanga - Legislation
Legislation - Te Here ā Nuku (Nelson Tenths) Bill - Elizabeth Derby
Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust v Ngāti Pāoa Trust Board - Allotment of Parish 20 Waiheke and others (Waiheke Station)
(2026) 303 Waikato Maniapoto MB 30 (303 WMN 30)
24 July 2026
Application for review of trust and declarations regarding the Ngāti Pāoa Trust Board, a charitable trust, in its role as the former sole responsible trustee of the Waiheke Station Trust.
Download Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust v Ngāti Pāoa Trust Board - Allotment of Parish 20 Waiheke and others (Waiheke Station) (318 KB PDF). read more
Ngahere-Pompey v Green - Allotment 62D Parish of Waipa (Waingaro Marae)
(2026) 303 Waikato Maniapoto MB 182 (303 WMN 182)
4 August 2026
This decision provides the reasons for the Court's decision, issued in September 2025, to replace the trustees of Waingaro Marae Māori Reservation Trust.
Download Ngahere-Pompey v Green - Allotment 62D Parish of Waipa (Waingaro Marae) (265 KB PDF). read more
Deputy Registrar v Davis - Mataimoana (Māori Customary Land)
(2026) 540 Aotea MB 91 (540 AOT 91)
16 July 2026
Application to constitute a whenua tōpū trust in respect of the Mataimoana block. In December 2023, the Court found that the customary owners of Mataimoana, which is Māori customary land, are Ngāti Hau and Ngāti Pourua (the hapū).
Download Deputy Registrar v Davis - Mataimoana (Māori Customary Land) (258 KB PDF). read more
Hart v Kuru - Whawhakanga 1B Ahu Whenua Trust
(2026) 134 Tākitimu MB 103 (134 TKT 103)
20 August 2026
Interim injunction application made on a without notice basis in relation to the Whawhakanga 1B block.
Download Hart v Kuru - Whawhakanga 1B Ahu Whenua Trust (177 KB PDF). read more
Gibbs v Te Āhuru Trustee Company Limited - Lot 1 DP 4866 and Section 1 SO 10359
(2026) 543 Aotea MB 4 (543 AOT 4)
12 August 2026
Application for a stay of proceedings while similar proceedings are before the High Court. The proceedings relate to the governance and administration of the RV & PJ Gibbs Family Trust.
Download Gibbs v Te Āhuru Trustee Company Limited - Lot 1 DP 4866 and Section 1 SO 10359 (219 KB PDF). read more
Preece - Taonga Tūturu found at Rēkohu/Wharekauri
(2026) 106 Te Waipounamu MB 217 (106 TWP 217)
30 June 2026
Decision on whether the Crown's statutory duty applies to the entirety of a large voyaging waka found in sand dunes on the north coast of Rēkohu/Wharekauri/Chatham Islands. The Crown argued that the parts of the waka that were still buried had not been "found" according to the Protected Objects Act 1975.
Download Preece - Taonga Tūturu found at Rēkohu/Wharekauri (482 KB PDF). read more
Te Kōti Mana Nui
Procedure - leave to appeal - Crown Forest Assets Act 1989 - Ruru v Attorney-General [2026] NZSC 79 - Elizabeth Derby
Te Kōti Pīra – Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction - declaration of inconsistency - legislative settlement of Waitangi Tribunal claim - Wairarapa Moana ki Pouākani Incorporation v Attorney-General [2026] NZCA 255 - Craig Linkhorn
Te Kōti Pīra Māori – Māori Appellate Court
2026 Māori Appellate Court judgments - index
Te Kōti Whenua Māori – Māori Land Court
Trusts - breach of trustee duties - further remedies - MacDonald v Gibson - Ngāti Tāwhirikura Hapū Charitable Trust (2026) 538 Aotea MB 260 - Elizabeth Derby
Occupation order - granted on amended terms to reflect shareholding - Tana v Hira - Waiteuku 2A4A (2026) 317 Taitokerau MB 79 - Elizabeth Derby
2026 Māori Land Court judgments - index
Ngā Whakaturetanga - Legislation
Legislation - Te Here ā Nuku (Nelson Tenths) Bill - Elizabeth Derby
Wairarapa Moana ki Pouākani Incorporation v Attorney-General
Te Kōti Pīra - Court of Appeal [2026] NZCA 255
16 June 2026
Unsuccessful appeal from a High Court decision finding jurisdiction existed to make a declaration of inconsistency, but declining in the circumstances to exercise that jurisdiction. The declaration sought was that the settlement by legislation of Wairarapa Moana ki Pouākani Incorporation's claim to the Waitangi Tribunal was inconsistent with rights protected by s 27(3) of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. On appeal, the Court decided the High Court did not have jurisdiction to hear the proceedings.
Download Wairarapa Moana ki Pouākani Incorporation v Attorney-General (357 KB PDF).
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Te Here ā Nuku (Nelson Tenths) Bill
The Bill, introduced 22 June 2026, is to give effect to an agreement reached between the Crown and Te Here-ā-Nuku Trust in 2025 for the return of approximately 3,250 hectares of land at Te Tau Ihu, the northern part of the South Island. The Crown will also provide $420 million in compensation for land that the parties have agreed will not be be returned. This followed the High Court's finding, in 2024, that the Crown did not own a large area of land at Te Tau Ihu. Rather, it had been holding it on trust for the descendents of the original owners.
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Tana v Hira - Waiteuku 2A4A
(2026) 317 Taitokerau MB 79 (317 TTK 79)
25 June 2026
Application for an occupation order on the Waiteuku 2A4A block. The occupation order sought was for an area roughly equating to the applicant's shares held in the Trust. However, the Trust does not govern the use and administration of the entire block.
Download Tana v Hira - Waiteuku 2A4A (219 KB PDF). read more
