Succession: Transfer of ownership when an owner dies
Overview
What is “succession”?
Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, ss 113, 117, 118
Succession is where an interest in land (including shares in Māori land) is transferred from a person who has died to the people who are entitled to take the deceased person’s property (the “successors”).
With Māori land, an order from the Māori Land Court is necessary to transfer the deceased person’s land interests to his or her successors.
Note: A Succession Order is not the same thing as a “Vesting Order”, which transfers the ownership of land interests from one living person to another (see: “Alienation: Selling, gifting and other land transactions”).
