About

 

Utakura 7 Incorporation

The Utakura 7 Incorporation was set up in 1968 and is the owner of 1643 hectares of land in the Utakura valley north of Ōkaihau, in the South Hokianga.

The Utakura Incorporation operates under section XIII of the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 and the associated regulations. The incorporation is managed by an elected Committee of Management.

The Utakura 7 Incorporation is a structure similar to a company established over the underlying Māori land blocks.

The Incorporation:

  • has all the powers of a limited liability company
  • is the legal owner of any lands or assets vested in it
  • has a Committee of Management who are elected by a meeting of shareholders
  • has shareholders, who own shares in the Incorporation, rather than in any individual block
  • maintains its own list of shareholders 
  • may stipulate a minimum shareholding for shares
  • is governed by the Māori Incorporations Constitution Regulations 1994.

Members of the committee of management act in the same capacity as a board of directors would for a company, making decisions about the affairs of the incorporation – however, under the Act, they also have the same duties as a trustee in whom land is vested.

Members normally hold office for a 3-year term and can stand for re-election at an AGM of the Incorporation.

The Incorporation runs independently of the normal court processes that apply to trusts.

If you need more information about your shareholding please contact the Share Register Administrator.

Business and financial reports of the incorporation can be found on the Reports & Policies page.

The benefits of Incorporation include:

  • ability to establish and run commercial operations for maximum financial benefit to the shareholders
  • the application of a corporate model to the management of Māori land
  • autonomy from the normal Māori Land Court practices that apply to normal trusts
  • voting and resolutions affecting the incorporation are done on the basis of the number of shares you have, rather than the number of votes received.

The current purpose of the Utakura 7 Incorporation, as determined by a meeting of shareholders is;

To manage and develop our assets to;

1. Support the development of community initiatives

2. Promote educational achievement

3. Build an economic base…

For the benefit of the shareholders and the Utakura community