Story: Māori Land Court – Te Kōti Whenua

'The true object' of the Native Land Court

Edward Stafford, three times premier of New Zealand, wrote in the 1870s that 'the true object [of the Native Land Court] is to enable and to dispose the Natives to sell or let the lands which they do not need for their own occupation or cultivation'. This is the first page of his 23-page proposal for improving the operation of the Native Land Courts. Several of his suggestions were incorporated in the Native Lands Act 1873.

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Alexander Turnbull Library, Sir Edward William Stafford Papers
Reference: MS-2044

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Mere Whaanga, 'Māori Land Court – Te Kōti Whenua - ‘Te kōti tango whenua’, 1865–1873', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/36132/the-true-object-of-the-native-land-court (accessed 18 April 2024)

Story by Mere Whaanga, published 20 Jun 2012