Story: Te ture – Māori and legislation

The '10-owner' rule

This letter, from lawyer and politician William Hughes Field to the attorney-general, points out the unfairness of the '10-owner' rule introduced by the Native Lands Act 1865. To simplify Māori land transactions no more than 10 owners were recorded for blocks of less than 5,000 acres. Field refers to a block owned by 11 people, one of whom was left off the certificate of title when the block was sold. He asserts that in any future Māori land legislation, 'provision should be made to remedy the manifest injustice'.

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How to cite this page:

Rāwiri Taonui, 'Te ture – Māori and legislation - The Native Land Court', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/36540/the-10-owner-rule (accessed 27 April 2024)

Story by Rāwiri Taonui, published 20 Jun 2012