Story: Land ownership

Māori women at land court meeting, Tokaanu, 1914

Māori women at land court meeting, Tokaanu, 1914

Under the Native Land Court acts of 1862 and 1865, the courts were able to grant certificates of title to the ‘owners’ of Māori land. This law introduced the concept of absolute ownership into Māori society and made the transfer of Māori land possible. Because use of the land was often shared, the European concept of ownership brought about considerable confusion and conflict. These Ngāti Tūwharetoa women are waiting for a land court hearing at Tokaanu, near Lake Taupō, in 1914.

Using this item

Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira
Reference: C466/M783 (34/35)
Photograph by Arthur Ninnis Breckon

Permission of the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Jim McAloon, 'Land ownership - Māori and land ownership', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/17890/maori-women-at-land-court-meeting-tokaanu-1914 (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Jim McAloon, published 24 Nov 2008