A landmark deal will return more than 3,000 hectares of South Island land to Māori descendants, marking a watershed moment in Crown-Ngāti relations.
In the 1830s, the Crown promised Te Tauihu Māori that if they sold 151,100 acres to the New Zealand Company, they would be allowed to keep one-tenth of the land. Instead, they received fewer than 3,000 acres. The intention to reserve land formed part of the consideration for the company’s purchase, but the promise was not upheld.
In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that the government must honour the 1839 agreement. Efforts to resolve the dispute outside court had stalled for years.
On Wednesday in Wellington, Attorney-General Judith Collins and Conservation Minister Tama Potaka announced a negotiated settlement. Under the deal, 3,068 hectares will be returned to the descendants of the original owners. The lands include the Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve and sections of the Abel Tasman Great Walk.
The agreement also provides a $420 million compensation package to acknowledge land sold by the Crown since 1839, as well as lost earnings and alternative uses of the land.
Collins noted that this arrangement differs from Treaty settlements, which address breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles. Here, she said, the Crown is simply returning land to its rightful and legal owners. The Crown had failed to fulfill its side of the 1839 agreement, and in 2017 the Supreme Court recognised a legal duty to the original owners. In 2024, the High Court confirmed that parts of Nelson, Tasman, and Golden Bay land had been held in trust by the Crown and that it belonged to the descendants of the original owners.
The case was initiated by Kaumātua Rore Stafford in 2010, acting on behalf of ngā uri, descendants listed in the 1893 Native Land Court document and descendants of specific Kurahaupō tūpuna.
Public access to certain lands will be preserved. The Crown and the landowners’ descendants have agreed that government agencies can continue to use the property for public purposes. Potaka stated that the Department of Conservation has collaborated with the owners to ensure ongoing access. The Abel Tasman Great Walk, Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve, and broader conservation areas will remain open, with bookings and access continuing as normal. Visitors, tourism operators, and local communities can expect no immediate changes to access or daily use.
Both sides emphasized balancing legal ownership with current land use and the need for certainty. They recognised that the Great Walk and reserve are cherished by locals and visitors and hold deep significance for the original owners, local businesses, and future generations.
Private property remains unaffected by the agreement. While the Crown had used portions of the affected land for roads, schools, and conservation, the deal transfers the land back to its rightful owners and allows the Crown to lease some parcels still used for important public purposes.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon acknowledged the impact on customary landowners who had not accessed their land for generations. He thanked representatives of the customary landowners for their patience and pragmatism, and praised Judith Collins, the coalition partners, and negotiators who worked toward this resolution.
Luxon highlighted that some returned lands are places well known to New Zealanders, and preserving public access will help maintain the area as a taonga that supports local livelihoods, the environment, and ongoing regional prosperity.
Te Here-ā-Nuku (Making the Tenths Whole) project lead Kerensa Johnston described the settlement as the end of more than 15 years of litigation. It resolves long-standing uncertainty, upholds the rule of law and property rights for all New Zealanders, and heals generational rifts, enabling a future focus on well-being and prosperity for whānau and the Nelson region—the original purpose of the Nelson Tenths agreement.
Johnston also paid tribute to kaumātua and plaintiff Rore Stafford for initiating the case nearly four decades ago, noting the Crown’s cooperative approach and the positive outcome it yielded.
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