⚠️ 1. 99-Year Leases – Could Lock Whānau Out

What it sounds like:
"Let whānau build and stay long-term without needing court approval."

Danger:
That’s also how non-Māori or external entities can lock up your whenua for nearly a century.

• Once a 99-year lease is signed, your whānau might lose control over the land for generations.

• If it's leased to someone outside your whānau or hapū, they can even pass the lease to their kids.

• It's hard to get the land back early — even if things go wrong.

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⚠️ 2. Easier Governance = Easier to Remove Tikanga

What it sounds like:
“Let’s streamline trusts and governance to make life easier for owners.”

Danger:
Simplifying things might also:

• Strip tikanga-based protections like whānau consent or kaumātua involvement.

• Make it easier for one or two people to control everything, especially if trustees aren’t checked properly.

• Lead to non-contributing trustees or outsiders making decisions over whenua.

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⚠️ 3. Power to Appoint Agents = Back Door Access

What it sounds like:
“Let’s allow someone to act for owners who live far away or don’t know the process.”

Danger:
Agents (kaiwhakahaere) could:

• Be appointed without the full consent of all owners.

• End up making decisions that benefit a few, not the whole whānau.

• Be used by whānau members with hidden agendas to fast-track sales, leases, or subdivisions.

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⚠️ 4. Less Court Involvement = Less Protection

What it sounds like:
“Let’s take the load off the Māori Land Court and make things easier for owners.”

Danger:
The Court acts as a kaitiaki/checkpoint to protect Māori land, especially when there’s:

• Disputes

• Bad faith

• Mismanagement

Less oversight = more room for abuse or shady deals that never get reviewed properly.

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⚠️ 5. Streamlining Succession Could Cut Out Some Whānau

What it sounds like:
“Let’s make succession faster and easier.”

Danger:

• If processes are too simplified, it could lead to some descendants being missed or excluded.

• Or shares going straight to trusts without whānau members fully understanding what they’re signing.

• Also opens the door to less transparency, especially when there’s internal whānau conflict.

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⚠️ 6. Focus on Productivity = Pressure to Sell or Commercialise

What it sounds like:
“Let’s make it easier to develop Māori land.”

Danger:

• Development might shift from whānau-based kaupapa to money-based outcomes.

• External developers or councils might use new rules to push Māori landowners into housing developments that don’t align with whānau values.

• Could lead to land loss if whānau aren’t informed or pressured financially.

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🛡️ Final Word: Whānau Need to Stay Awake

These changes aren’t evil on their own, but they can be used in the wrong way. It all comes down to:

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✅ Who holds the pen
✅ Who controls the trust
✅ Who understands the law
✅ Who’s watching long-term impacts