Development of Maori land

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to look at areas for improvement in the management of Maori Authorities to maximise the returns to stakeholders from the resources they hold. Limitations have been identified that are particular to Maori Land and relate to: Multiple ownership (creating an ever-expanding shareholder base), legislation (that places constraints on management and administration), cultural factors (relating to genealogical descent), political factors (that can influence shareholder votes in the wrong direction), governance (critical to success of any large business), economic factors (many have started with little capital and little likelihood of raising any on the land) and environmental factors (Maori have a strong affinity with the land). My intention is to look at the successful development of Maori Land but to do this I must define from whose viewpoint I have determined success. Key success factors from my European background could be significantly different from that of Maoridom. Goals and objectives could vary between Maori Trustees, Maori Land owners, farm managers and professional advisors. My starting point will be to look at a background on Maori Land holdings, how ownership of this land is structured and the evolution of this structure. To fully understand the ownership structure, I will look in some detail at the main entities involved in the ownership and management of Maori Land. I will define my interpretation of Maori Land and review some of the limitations associated with it. To understand what successful development of this land means, I will look at the different key success factors of each of the different stakeholders in the land. I have then summarised the key avenues to success through three broad areas of Governance, Planning, Diversification and Networking. These findings are then supported through actual case study analysis of operating Maori Authorities located in the central North Island that I believe displayed characteristics of a successful developer of Maori Land. I have included one recent Northland example of what happens when things go wrong. From this analysis I have drawn my conclusions and proposed some recommendations that can be utilised to help enhance future Maori Land Development.