Government announces legislative changes to empower Māori land owners and simplify development

Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced on Thursday, 24 September 2026, that Cabinet has agreed to 12 targeted amendments to Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993. The changes are designed to provide Māori landowners with greater control over their assets while streamlining processes within the Māori Land Court to make it easier to develop whenua. A key feature of the proposal is the introduction of a new voluntary governance option for managing whenua, modeled after the Wi Pere Trust. Mr. Potaka stated that this structure allows whānau to make more independent decisions, reducing the frequency of required court visits. This autonomy is expected to help whānau access investment and move forward with plans for new housing, businesses, and other developments more efficiently. The amendments also address critical gaps in emergency support. Following the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, some whānau were unable to access recovery funding because their land lacked a formal legal entity to apply for help. The new law will ensure that ungoverned whenua can access emergency and recovery funding when stable. Furthermore, the changes will clarify home ownership on Māori land and allow adopted individuals to inherit Māori land interests from their birth parents. According to research from the Ministry for Primary Industries, helping whenua Māori reach its full productive potential could generate an additional $2.3 billion in annual revenue and create thousands of jobs. Mr. Potaka noted that the amendments aim to remove unnecessary barriers for whānau to build homes and grow businesses without compromising the protections that keep whenua in Māori ownership. An Amendment Bill is currently being drafted for introduction to Parliament.