The Māori Landowners Survey 2025, carried out by the Kānuka Charitable Trust and AgResearch, gathered insights from 179 Māori landowners across Aotearoa. The findings show:
· Mixed levels of trust in governance: About half of landowners feel their interests are well represented, while the other half report disconnection, poor communication, and lack of transparency in decisions.
· Disconnection from whenua: 15% of respondents have never set foot on their land, including some trustees responsible for governance.
· Barriers to development: Landowners cited bureaucratic hurdles, including landlocked parcels, perpetual leases, and Māori Land Court delays, as major obstacles to housing, economic development, and environmental restoration.
· Diverse values of significance: Cultural and environmental values are most important to landowners, but governance structures remain dominated by Western shareholder models seen as colonial and misaligned with tikanga Māori.
· Future aspirations: Despite challenges, landowners want to lead development that regenerates ecosystems, creates local jobs, strengthens papakāinga, and reconnects whānau with their whenua.
Manu Caddie
Kānuka Charitable Trust spokesperson Manu Caddie said the results send a clear message.
“Māori landowners want to make decisions that uphold the mana and mauri of the whenua, but too often they are blocked by outdated systems, poor communication, and bureaucratic red tape. This survey shows the need for urgent change to put tikanga Māori at the centre of governance and support whānau-led futures.”
