Parliament will consider legislation transferring approximately 3000 hectares of land at the top of the South Island to its original owners, resolving a dispute that has persisted for more than 180 years.
Historic trust dispute
The Te Here ā Nuku (Nelson Tenths) Bill, which will facilitate the return of land to its original owners, was put before Parliament by Attorney General Chris Bishop and Conservation Minister Tama Potaka. The legislation resolves a trust law dispute originating in the 1840s.
The High Court found in 2024 that the Crown held no ownership of the land but had been administering it as trustee for the rightful owners. In December 2025, the Crown and Te Here-ā-Nuku Trust finalised a Resolution Agreement setting out the terms of the land return.
Bishop stated the matter concerns trust law rather than Treaty settlement processes, characterising it as private land being returned to its rightful legal owners. The Bill creates the statutory framework to effect the transfer from Crown to Trust.
Current land use
The Department of Conservation presently administers the majority of the affected land in Nelson, Golden Bay and Tasman Bay. The Resolution Agreement permits the Crown to lease back sections of the private land needed for public purposes.
Public access to popular recreational areas will continue under arrangements securing ongoing use of the coastal section of the Abel Tasman Great Walk and public reserves at Tōtaranui and Kaiteretere. The Bill updates the official spelling of the latter location to Kaiteretere, reflecting the historic name used by the original landowners.