This Government bill implements the December 2025 Resolution Agreement that settled Stafford v Attorney-General (the Wakatū / Nelson Tenths case), in which the High Court found in 2024 that about 3,250 hectares of Crown land in the Nelson, Te Tai-o-Aorere / Tasman Bay, and Mohua / Golden Bay areas had been held by the Crown on trust since 1845 for descendants of the land's former Māori owners. The bill transfers legal title in the relevant lands from the Crown to the 14 court-appointed trustees of Te Here ā Nuku Trust, and makes arrangements for trust land that may continue to be used for conservation or reserve purposes. It is before Parliament, having passed its second reading on the voices on 4 August 2026 (recorded provisionally from the uncorrected transcript).
This bill gives effect to a settlement of the long-running Wakatu (Nelson Tenths) litigation. After the High Court found that around 3,250 hectares of Crown land in the Nelson, Tasman Bay, and Golden Bay areas had been held on trust since 1845 for the descendants of the former Maori owners, and later replaced the Crown as trustee, the parties settled before appeals were heard. The bill's primary purpose is to transfer legal title in the relevant lands from the Crown, as former trustee, to the newly appointed trustees for the beneficiaries.
Because the bill implements a settlement reached between the parties after litigation, discussion tends to focus on giving effect to that agreement and the transfer of title rather than the underlying dispute. Points of interest can include the scope of the land and money involved and how the arrangements affect the beneficiaries and any remaining interests.
See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.