Survey work of Maori Land undertaken by Survey Gisborne Limited generally involves partitions, “licence to occupy” areas and reservations (ie. urupas).

There is a formal process to follow with the Maori Land Court. Details of the full process and forms can be found on their website.

Any survey work involving Maori Land can sometimes be complex due to the multiple shareholdings within those blocks, especially when the consent of other shareholders are needed.

At an early stage, it is advisable to have a sketch plan or plan proposal prepared by one of the professional surveyors at Survey Gisborne Limited. These plans can be useful to support an application for a partition, “licence to occupy” areas or reservations. These plans are required to show the following information for the Maori Land Court:

• The area to be partition out of the block.
• The locality of the partition in relation to the overall block, including any river, lake and/or seashore boundaries.
• The position of any easements, including roadways, required for legal access.

Once a Court Judge has approved an Order for a block to be partitioned or for reservation purposes, it is a requirement for Maori Land Court to nominate an authorised surveyor to undertake the next stage of having that block surveyed and shown on a survey plan for registration purposes. The professional surveyors at Survey Gisborne Limited are recognised as being authorised to undertake this type of survey work.