Māori Land Spatial Dataset status
A common GIS question is: where is the current national Māori Land Spatial Dataset download?
As at 26 August 2026, the old public bulk GIS package should not be treated as a current national Māori land dataset. The former Māori Land Online service has been replaced by Pātaka Whenua, while an ArcGIS FeatureServer labelled Māori Land Court Spatial Data May 2017 remains discoverable online. That service is useful as a dated snapshot, not as proof of current block geometry or status.
What changed
The old Māori Land Online environment exposed a national spatial layer that circulated as shapefile/geodatabase downloads and ArcGIS services. Pātaka Whenua replaced Māori Land Online as the current Māori Land Court portal.
A current data.govt.nz request for the old MLC_2017_05 Shapefile/Geodatabase remains an agency-notified data request rather than a current maintained download. The surviving 2017 ArcGIS service describes itself as combining map-search spatial data and management-structure information from the former system.
What to use now
For a current investigation:
- search Pātaka Whenua
- record the current block details and court references
- add current LINZ parcels
- use survey plans or title records where the cadastral relationship matters
- use the 2017 spatial layer only when a historical GIS snapshot is useful
This is less convenient than a current bulk Māori-land polygon dataset, but it is more defensible than presenting an eight- or nine-year-old layer as current.
Legacy service
The legacy endpoint remains available at:
ArcGIS REST: Māori Land Court Spatial Data May 2017
Its map projection is NZTM2000. Keep the capture date in the layer name when you use it, for example MLC_spatial_2017_05, so it cannot quietly become current_maori_land in a project.
What the old dataset can still help with
It can be useful for:
- reconstructing what the former public system showed in 2017
- locating candidate block names for further research
- comparing changes in representation over time
- teaching block-versus-parcel concepts
- identifying records to check in Pātaka Whenua
It should not be the sole evidence for current ownership, block status, current management structure or exact present-day legal geometry.
See Legacy 2017 spatial service for a practical GIS workflow.
Last reviewed: 26 August 2026
Why status matters
For Māori land research, the practical issue is not simply whether a polygon exists, but whether it is current enough for the kaupapa and how it relates to Pātaka Whenua and the LINZ cadastre. Continue with Pātaka Whenua and Māori land versus parcels.