Established in 1865 as the Native Land Court, its purpose was to translate customary communal landholdings into individual titles recognisable under English law.
Since the late 20th century, the renamed court has focused on resolving disputes and protecting Māori land interests.
One means of fulfilling this intention was to limit to ten the number of owners able to be issued a Certificate of Title.
Judges often made their own rules as points of law arose but the general principle was equity.
One of the most dramatic cases was the claim of Ngāti Mutunga for their previous land in North Taranaki in 1870.
[9] In the 1980s the judiciary played a major role in redefining and elevating the constitutional position of the Treaty of Waitangi.
[13] In 2012, the Māori Land Court minute books dating between 1862 and 1900, held at the Archives New Zealand National Office in Wellington, were included as an entry on the UNESCO Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Ngā Mahara o te Ao register.
[14] The court has no centralised courthouse but has a head office in Wellington and sits in various cities and towns in New Zealand as needed.
The Māori Land Court districts are Taitokerau, Waikato-Maniapoto, Waiariki, Tairāwhiti, Tākitimu, Aotea and Te Waipounamu.
The Act recognises Māori land as taonga tuku iho, a treasure to be handed down.
[22] Māori Land Court judges are appointed by warrant issued by the Governor-General of New Zealand.