Map whenua and land questions
Whenua work often requires several representations of the same place at once. A Māori Land Court block, a LINZ parcel, a planning zone, an access route and a locally understood place may all be useful, but they do not mean the same thing and should not quietly collapse into one boundary.
A practical route
- Define the whenua question before choosing layers.
- Identify what Māori-held kōrero, records or local knowledge already matters to that question.
- Add legal and administrative sources for the purposes they actually represent.
- Keep block, parcel, title, planning and project boundaries distinct.
- Record dates and provenance so an old legal or planning layer is not mistaken for current truth.
- Use notes, related tables or linked material where a polygon cannot carry the meaning properly.
- Check the working representation with the appropriate people before turning it into a public or decision map.
Read next
- Whenua mapping
- Māori land
- Māori land blocks and parcels
- Landlocked Māori land
- Mana whenua and rohe without hard boundaries
- Sites and places
- Should this be mapped?
What the map should not do
Do not let cadastral geometry become the definition of whenua simply because it is precise and easy to download.
Precision tells you how a geometry has been recorded. It does not tell you whether that geometry is the right representation of whakapapa, occupation, responsibility, memory or mana whenua for the kaupapa in front of you.