The Act recognises Māori land as taonga tuku iho, a treasure to be handed down.
[1] Before the arrival of European settlers, Māori had collective kaitiakitanga (guardianship) for the whenua (land) in their territory.
[11] The arrival of European settlers from the early 1800s meant that Māori land was in high demand.
[12] Following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, significant tracts of Māori land were acquired by the Crown.
The court could decide on who owns land, and legislation allowed for a maximum of only 10 owners to be named per title.
Because land was not collectively owned, individuals were able decide what they could do with their interests, which resulted in increased sales.
The rate of Māori land acquisition slowed markedly after Gordon Coates replaced W. H. Herries as native minister in 1921.
Under the influence of Sir Apirana Ngata, the Native Trustee funded a series of large land development schemes in rural areas.
[26] In 1996, Māori Reserved Land Amendment Bill aimed to restore balance to the relationship between owners and lessees.
[27] To achieve this the Act required rents to increase to the market rate and to be reviewed every seven years.