Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011

Preliminary provisions - Purpose and acknowledgements

9A: Customary marine title amendments: purposes and application

You could also call this:

"Changes to the law about owning the coast and sea"

Illustration for Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011

The purposes of the Customary Marine Title amendments, such as sections like 57A, 57B, 58, 59, and 106, are to define requirements for recognising customary marine title. You need to meet certain requirements to prove exclusive use and occupation of a specified area. The amendments also change aspects of the law, consistent with recitals (5) to (12) of the Preamble of this Act. The Customary Marine Title amendments apply to decisions, agreements, and orders specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1AA. You can find the details of these amendments in this part of the Act. The amendments are part of the law that affects the marine and coastal area.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1539384.

This page was last updated on 9 February 2026 — View changes

Topics:

Environment and resources > ConservationMāori affairs > Māori land

9A: Transitional, savings, and related provisions, or

"Rules to help change from old to new laws about the coast"

9B: Customary marine title amendments: interpretation and overriding effect, or

"How Customary Marine Title changes affect the law and what they mean"

Part 1Preliminary provisions
Purpose and acknowledgements

9ACustomary marine title amendments: purposes and application

The purposes of the CMT amendments (for example, sections 57A, 57B, 58, 59, and 106) are—
to define the applicable requirements for recognising customary marine title (namely, requirements for, and for proof of, exclusive use and occupation of a specified area from the start to the end of the applicable period without substantial interruption); and
in particular, consistent with recitals (5) to (12) of the Preamble of this Act, to alter aspects of the law that are—
1. specified in section 59A; and
2. in reasoning and conclusions expressed in judgments given under this Act that include, for example, the judgments specified in section 59B.

The customary marine title decisions, agreements, and orders to which the CMT amendments apply are specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1AA.

Notes

Section 9A: inserted, on 25 October 2025, by section 6 of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) (Customary Marine Title) Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 58).