Hon Te Ururoa Flavell

Te Minita Whanaketanga Māori

Minister for Māori Development

1 June 2017

Portal helps inform iwi on Crown land options

A free online system makes it easier for iwi to decide whether to invest in Crown properties offered as part of Treaty of Waitangi settlements, says Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell.

“Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has developed the Crown Property Disposals Portal to give iwi access to information about property no longer needed by the government,” says Mr Flavell.

“If a Crown property is offered to an iwi under their Right of First Refusal, they will have more time to carry out research and to decide if they want to buy it.

“Instead of having the standard 20 days to consider an offer, iwi will have up to 18 months’ notice that a Crown property will be disposed of. The Portal gives them a pipeline to see what properties may be offered to them in the future, so they can plan accordingly.”

More than 1200 Crown properties have been added to the Portal database in the past year, including properties set aside for future Treaty settlements. LINZ will continue to develop the Portal so more information is available to iwi who have yet to settle.

“LINZ has had great feedback from a number of iwi already, and will continue to develop the Portal and roll it out to iwi across the country, face-to-face.”

The Portal has more than 200 users, including iwi, Crown agencies, local authorities and accredited suppliers that dispose of Crown property.

Watch a video explaining how the Portal works and its benefits here

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