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You can find information about your whenua and other Māori land from a variety of sources.

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Finding information about whenua can be a time-consuming exercise. Having a conversation with your whānau about your whenua and whakapapa can be helpful before getting started. It is a good idea to ask them about:
  • What land blocks you might be an owner in
  • An accurate record of your whakapapa
  • How you became an owner or beneficiary to your whenua.
Once you've confirmed these details, you can find further information through the following sources:

Pātaka Whenua


You do not need to register or log in to search the court record in Pātaka Whenua.

Information previously available on Māori Land Online and through the Māori Land Information System is now available through our new online portal, Pātaka Whenua. You can search Pātaka Whenua as a guest user, or you can create an account and become a registered user where you can save your information and pick up where you left off last time.

In Pātaka Whenua, you can search for information by land block, landowner, management structure or document.

For guidance on how to search, view this guide here: Search for documents
For all our other guidance and troubleshooting guides, visit this page here: Pātaka Whenua - our online portal

  • You can search for information by using the name of the land block.

    You can see where the whenua is and what (if anything) is happening with it. This may help you and other landowners decide on future development or use of your land.

    If you’re compiling a whenua timeline you can access historical information of that whenua as recorded in the Māori Land Court (or our predecessor, the Native Land Court).

    Go to page 3 of the Search for Documents guide for guidance on how to search by land block.

  • You can search for land that you have an interest in to learn more about the whakapapa of the whenua. You can find information on:

    • When a person became a landowner, where they inherited land interests from and the type of land ownership they have
    • The previous landowners and line of succession, or whakapapa of the whenua
    • The current list of landowners of the block.

    Go to page 11 of the Search for Documents guide for guidance on how to search by landowner.

  • You can search for a trust or administration body that manages land you have an interest in. This will show you:

    • when the land trust was formed
    • any historical activities of the trust that have been recorded by the Māori Land Court
    • who the trustees are and when they were appointed
    • the trust order or deed

    In some cases, you can find trustee contact details which you can use to register your interest in receiving updates about the whenua. 

    Go to page 8 of the Search for Documents guide for guidance on how to search by management structure.

  • You can search for current and historical documents that are public record in the Māori Land Court. This may include historical memorial schedules, court minutes and judgements, survey plans, and title orders.

    Documents that are not included in the public record include:

    • Will files (original wills with probate orders made by the Māori Land Court)
    • Personal files (original grants of administration made by the Māori Land Court or files which deal with personal property in addition to Māori land)
    • Adoption files (where an adoption was granted by the Māori Land Court)
    • Any document or record that, due to its age and condition, can no longer be safely handled
    • Any document or record that has been suppressed by the court.

    Go to page 5 of the Search for Documents guide for guidance on how to search by document.

Rapua tō whenua Find your whenua

Find information about your whenua in Pātaka Whenua. 

Our district offices

If you want to view physical copies of the court record, you are welcome to visit one of our district offices. If you know what documents you’d like to look at, let us know in advance so that we have them ready for when you arrive.

We can also send you scans/printed versions of the records by post or email (where possible). For printed versions, there is a cost of 20 cents per black and white page and 40 cents per colour page.

Te uru ki te pūkete puka
Access the physical record

Read about the records that are available to view in hard copy. 

Toitū te Whenua

Toitū te Whenua hold information about historical transfers, surveying titles, or land that has been converted to general land. You can request copies of land records registered with them.

Tōku Whenua reports

Te Puni Kōkiri holds the Tōku Whenua reports on their Tupu website. These reports can provide information about a land block and can help you:

  • find out where the whenua is — you’ll be able to see the boundaries of the land and find it on the map
  • see aerial photos of the whenua as it looks now
  • find out about the environment, economy, and climate where the whenua is
  • get information about the whenua itself — about the soil, water, slope, and vegetation.

Ō mātou tari ā-rohe
Our district offices

Contact your nearest Māori Land Court office. 

Toku Whenua Reports

Find Toku Whenua Reports on Tupu's website. 

Toitū te Whenua
Land Information New Zealand

Contact Toitū te Whenua to record copies of records.