Date:  17 December 2025 Source:  Office of the Minister of Conservation

The Crown and the owners, descendants of Te Tauihu Māori, have agreed to allow continued public access to land currently used by the government agencies. This includes the Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve and the Abel Tasman Coast Track Great Walk, with a 25-year agreement on the latter. There will also be a $420 million payment.

“This is very different from Treaty settlements, which settle historical claims concerning breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles,” Ms Collins says.

“In this case, we are simply returning land to its rightful and legal owners.

“This case is the result of a private property litigation brought by Kaumātua Rore Stafford against the Crown in 2010 but which originates in 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.”

Mr Potaka says the Department of Conservation has worked with the owners to ensure ongoing public access to this special part of New Zealand.

“The Abel Tasman Great Walk, the Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve and wider conservation areas will remain open, with all bookings and access continuing as normal,” he says.

“Visitors, tourism operators, and local communities can be assured there will be no immediate changes to access or day-to-day use.”

No private property is affected by the agreement but for many decades the Crown has been using some of the affected land for roads, schools and conservation purposes. The agreement transfers the land back to its rightful owners but allows the Crown to lease some of the land currently being used for important public purposes.

“Schools will continue to run as normal, the public can visit and enjoy the national park as they currently do, all bookings within the national park remain in place, and the Crown and Mr Stafford’s representatives have agreed the return of the land will be as seamless as possible for the public, tenants and businesses who use it,” Mr Potaka says.

“Both parties are mindful of the need to balance legal ownership with how the land is currently being used and the desire for certainty for everyone. Everyone acknowledges that the Great Walk and Reserve are important sites, much loved by locals and visitors, and that they are of deep significance to the original owners, local business operators and future generations.”

Ms Collins says the Government is pleased to be resolving this unique private law case, and to be able to bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion for all parties.

“I want to acknowledge Mr Stafford and his whānau, and to thank them for their patience across many years.”

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