Date:  17 December 2025

On Wednesday 17 December 2025, the Crown announced a landmark agreement with Te Here-ā-Nuku Trust (the Trust) that will see ownership of approximately 7,583 acres (3,068 hectares) of land at the top of the South Island restored to the descendants of its original owners, following a long-standing private litigation.

This case is the result of a private property litigation brought by Kaumātua Rore Stafford against the Crown in 2010 but dates back to the 1840s.

At that time, the Crown agreed to reserve 15,100 acres (6,110 hectares) – which was a tenth of the land being granted to the New Zealand Company at the time - for the land’s original owners and their descendants. The agreement to reserve the land was in part-payment for the company’s purchase of the land.

The Crown failed to keep its side of the deal but in 2017 the Supreme Court ruled it had a legal duty to the original owners. In 2024 the High Court confirmed that the land, in parts of Nelson, Tasman and Golden Bay, had been held on trust by the Crown and that it had always belonged to descendants of its original owners.

What this means for the Department of Conservation

This agreement means that a lot of Crown land that is administered by DOC is going to be transferred into the ownership of the Trust.

Part of the Abel Tasman National Park will be transferred into the Trust’s ownership (approximately 1,603 hectares out of 24,000). However, Abel Tasman National Park and the Great Walk will continue to be operated by DOC and will remain publicly accessible for recreation and tourism.

There will be no immediate change to access or day-to day use, and all bookings will continue as normal.

This agreement will ensure continued public access to the Abel Tasman Coast Track Great Walk, Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve and surrounding conservation areas.

The Trust will have an important role as landowner and will be involved in concession decision making but the day-to-day public facing work will continue to be done by DOC.

Existing third-party rights and privileges (such as concessions) currently in place will continue to follow the usual process.

This agreement balances legal ownership with certainty for everyone.

What happens next?

The Crown and the Trust will continue to work through longer term arrangements for some of the other sites being transferred to the Trust.

The Trust is the legal owner of the land and the assets on it, so there will be some new agreements to put in place now and there is still work to do on this.

For more information

A media explainer with FAQs can be found here: Historic agreement for Top of South Island land | Beehive.govt.nz