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Landlocked Māori land and practical GIS methods to find access issues

What this page covers​

This page is for Māori landowners, trustees, and community GIS users who want to understand landlocked Māori land and run simple, repeatable GIS checks to find blocks that may not have practical access. It does not give legal advice. It focuses on:

  • definitions and context from reliable public sources
  • where to find data you can use without paid access
  • simple analysis methods (buffering roads, checking for legal road parcels, screening for likely “locked-in” parcels)
  • how to document uncertainty so results are safe to share

What “landlocked land” means in Aotearoa​

A practical definition​

Herenga ā Nuku describes landlocked land as land with no reasonable access, for example where it is surrounded by other blocks and has no road, driveway, or easement leading to it. It also notes that a large share of landlocked Māori whenua is surrounded partly or wholly by Crown land, and that “theoretical” access across public land can still be impractical in real life. https://www.herengaanuku.govt.nz/advice/resolving-disputes-over-access/landlocked-land

The Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 contains a definition of landlocked Māori land and sets out the Court’s powers to grant reasonable access. A readable consolidated copy is available via NZLII: https://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/consol_act/ttwma1993221/index.html Related context from the Māori Land Court: https://www.xn--morilandcourt-wqb.govt.nz/en/who-we-are/our-rules-and-legislation

Why this remains a current issue​

Recent public reporting has highlighted how common landlocking is across Māori land holdings and how it can limit owners’ ability to use and care for their whenua. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/583823/how-do-the-people-break-through-third-of-maori-land-considered-landlocked The Waitangi Tribunal has also reported on landlocking as a priority issue in the Taihape inquiry district, describing historic causes and long-running barriers to remedies. https://www.waitangitribunal.govt.nz/en/news/tribunal-releases-report-on-landlocking-in-taihape-inquiry-district

What you can and cannot prove with open data​

What open GIS can help you do​

With free datasets you can usually:

  • flag parcels that do not touch a legal road parcel
  • flag parcels that are more than a chosen distance from mapped road centrelines (for a practical access screen)
  • find possible legal access routes such as legal road parcels, some easement-like corridor parcels, and public access layers where available
  • produce a short list for follow-up with owners, trustees, survey records, and the Māori Land Court

What open GIS cannot prove by itself​

Open GIS will not reliably confirm:

  • whether a formed track exists on the ground
  • whether a neighbour allows informal access
  • whether there is a registered right of way on title that is not obvious in the geometry you used
  • whether access is “reasonable” in the legal sense for your intended use Treat outputs as “screening results”, not final truth.

Data sources you can start with​

Māori land spatial layers​

A commonly referenced starting point is the Māori Land Spatial Dataset listed on data.govt.nz. https://catalogue.data.govt.nz/dataset/maori-land-spatial-dataset The Māori Land Court also provides Māori land data and related publications. https://www.xn--morilandcourt-wqb.govt.nz/en/the-court-record/m%C4%81ori-land-data Important note: Māori land spatial layers can have limits in currency, matching to current parcels, and attribute detail. Always record the dataset date, and be ready to cross-check against the cadastre and court records.

LINZ parcel layers can be accessed via LINZ Data Service. These are commonly used basemaps for parcel geometry and parcel types.

Road and access layers​

For “near road” screening you can use road centrelines. For “legal access” checks you should use legal road parcels where you can. Road centrelines (Topo50 series): https://data.linz.govt.nz/layer/50329-nz-road-centrelines-topo-150k/ Unformed legal roads (paper roads) are a common factor in access work. Herenga ā Nuku provides explanation and a method to find them via their maps. https://www.herengaanuku.govt.nz/types-of-access/unformed-legal-roads https://www.herengaanuku.govt.nz/maps/help/examples/how-to-find-unformed-legal-roads Herenga ā Nuku also provides a GIS data page and an open data portal with layers relevant to public access, including legal road parcels and walkway easements. https://www.herengaanuku.govt.nz/maps/help/gis-data https://data-walkingaccess.opendata.arcgis.com/

A careful workflow: from broad screening to targeted follow-up​

This workflow is designed for small teams. It starts broad, then narrows.

Step 1: Define purpose and output level​

Write this down before you open QGIS.

  • Purpose: for example “screening to identify Māori land blocks that may have limited vehicle access for planning a site visit”
  • Output level: private working map only, or a shareable map with generalised locations
  • Rules: no publishing of sensitive block names or owner details without consent

Step 2: Choose an area of interest​

Work in a manageable area.

  • one rohe, one catchment, or one district
  • keep it small enough that you can ground-truth a few sites later

Step 3: Load and align datasets in QGIS​

Recommended minimum set:

  • Māori land spatial dataset (or your local Māori land blocks layer)
  • NZ Primary Parcels (LINZ)
  • Legal road parcels (from Herenga ā Nuku public access layers, or another authoritative source you trust for legal roads)
  • Road centrelines (LINZ Topo50)
  • Optional: NZ Linear Parcels (LINZ), walkway easements and access layers (Herenga ā Nuku) Checks in QGIS:
  • project CRS is suitable (NZTM2000 is common for distance work)
  • all layers line up visually
  • remove duplicates
  • clip each layer to the area of interest to keep performance acceptable

Step 4: Create a simple “near road” screen (20 m example)​

This identifies parcels that are not close to mapped road centrelines. It is not a legal access test. It is a practical screen. 1) Buffer road centrelines by 20 m QGIS: Processing Toolbox → Buffer

  • Input: road centrelines
  • Distance: 20
  • Dissolve: yes (usually) 2) Select parcels that intersect the buffer QGIS: Select by Location
  • Target: parcels (NZ Primary Parcels or Māori land blocks if you are working at block level)
  • Predicate: intersects
  • Compare to: road buffer 3) Invert selection to find parcels not within 20 m of a road centreline These are candidates for “may be harder to reach by vehicle”. Caution: road centrelines may miss private tracks, farm lanes, and formed but unmapped routes.

This is a better screening method because it tests parcels against legal road parcels. 1) Identify your legal road parcel layer Herenga ā Nuku describes “NZ Road Parcel” as legal roads, formed and unformed, derived from LINZ cadastre and distributed via their systems. https://www.herengaanuku.govt.nz/maps/help/gis-data 2) Select Māori land parcels that touch a legal road parcel QGIS: Select by Location

  • Target: Māori land blocks (or parcels matched to Māori land)
  • Predicate: touches or intersects
  • Compare to: legal road parcels 3) Invert selection to find parcels that do not touch a legal road parcel These are stronger candidates for being “locked in”. Caution: even if a parcel touches a legal road parcel, access may still be impractical on the ground.

Step 6: Screen for corridor access that is not a road (rights of way proxies)​

Some access exists as corridor parcels and easements. You may be able to screen for these, depending on how your corridor layers are attributed. Options:

  • NZ Linear Parcels (LINZ) can help identify corridor-type parcels that may represent access lines.   https://data.linz.govt.nz/layer/51570-nz-linear-parcels/
  • Herenga ā Nuku provides walkway easements and public access layers through its open data portal.   https://data-walkingaccess.opendata.arcgis.com/ Method: 1) Merge corridor layers you trust into one “possible access corridor” layer 2) Buffer that layer slightly (for example 1 m to 5 m) to make spatial tests easier 3) Select Māori land parcels that intersect the corridor buffer 4) Review results manually because not every corridor is usable for vehicle access Do not label these as confirmed rights of way unless confirmed on title or by the relevant parties.

Step 7: Identify parcels surrounded by other parcels (a topology-based screen)​

This step helps find parcels that do not touch roads and appear enclosed by other parcels. A simple approach:

  • Start with the set of Māori land parcels that do not touch legal road parcels (Step 5)
  • For each candidate parcel, check whether it touches any legal access geometry (roads, corridors, public access areas)
  • If it touches none, mark it as “enclosed candidate” You can also create neighbour relationships:
  • QGIS: Vector → Analysis → Polygon neighbours This produces a table of which parcels touch which parcels. It helps when you need to understand which surrounding parcels might be involved in access discussions. Caution: “surrounded” does not equal “no access”. Access may exist by agreement, by water, or by a narrow legal corridor that is missing in your chosen datasets.

Step 8: Prioritise candidates for follow-up​

Prioritise parcels where:

  • no touch to legal road parcels
  • no intersection with corridor proxies
  • far from road centrelines (for example beyond 20 m, or a larger distance if you are screening for vehicle access)
  • practical use is blocked (for example planned housing, pest control, fencing, access for kaumātua, site visits)

Step 9: Follow-up checks outside GIS​

For a small shortlist, move beyond GIS. Useful follow-up paths:

Suggested outputs for a whānau or trust​

Keep outputs simple and safe.

Map 1: Access screening overview (private)​

  • Māori land blocks coloured by access category:   - touches legal road parcel   - does not touch legal road parcel   - unclear (needs follow-up)

Map 2: Candidate list (private spreadsheet)​

Fields to include:

  • block name or identifier
  • area (ha)
  • touches legal road parcel (yes or no)
  • within 20 m of road centreline (yes or no)
  • corridor proxy intersect (yes or no)
  • notes
  • who checked
  • date checked
  • data sources used

Map 3: Shareable generalised map (if needed)​

If you must share beyond the ownership group:

  • remove block names
  • summarise by larger areas (catchment, grid, or generalised polygons)
  • state “screening only” clearly in the legend and metadata

Common pitfalls​

  • Treating road centrelines as legal access Use legal road parcels where possible, centrelines are only a practical indicator.
  • Treating any corridor parcel as a usable right of way Many corridor features are not usable for the purpose you care about.
  • Publishing a “landlocked list” publicly This can create conflict and can expose sensitive land situations. Keep early outputs private.
  • Mixing datasets without recording dates and sources Access questions often require careful audit trails.