Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
We received a number of great pātai from shareholders at our Mangatu Blocks Incorporation engagement hui held in late January and early February 2026.
For those who were unable to attend, we have provided a summary of the key pātai and responses below.
This is a live webpage and will be updated as further questions are received.
If you have additional pātai, please contact the Mangatu office at any time.
TAIAO
What is the incorporation’s plan for environmental management and land use?
Michelle Hippolite, as a member of the Committee of Management, is leading the establishment of a Taiao Committee to guide the development of our taiao plan.
Our land is vast and a taiao plan needs to consider what we are going to do, what have we done, and what can we learn from across our whenua.
We have started the work to understand the optimal approach to pest management; the optimal approach to creating plant corridors for birdlife and any other life to come into our whenua; what we know about where the water goes or where it comes from.
When we thought about the task before us, rather than looking at all those lanes, like what will we do for pest management across all our land, we are going to break it up into different areas — in environmental terms known as catchment areas. That is where you can see water flow in, the way in which pests move or don’t move, what happens when there is no riparian planting to keep the water fresh and clean in that area.
We haven’t determined which areas we are going to work on yet. We are going to have some kōrero sessions with whānau this year. We are interested in your perspectives.
As we break it up into catchment areas, we want to be quite specific so that we can really demonstrate what we need to do in particular catchment areas — so we can learn as we go, given the size of our whenua and the type of whenua we look after.
We are going to be pragmatic in how we approach it.
Some of our whānau have asked why we have invested in pine versus native.
About half and half of our land is native and pine, and some of the pine work started well before all of us, so if you were to take out pine and put them back into native that would have a direct knock-on effect to our carbon farming, to how we prepared roads in the event that we are going to harvest trees, and a long-term planning impact on where we invest our money in planting new forest, especially when forests rotate. All of those factors and other things are being taken into account in developing our taiao plan.
What is happening with the taiao strategy, and is additional budget being ring-fenced beyond normal farming operations?
We are currently in the scoping phase of this work and put significant effort into it in the final three months of 2025.
Over this calendar year, we intend to clarify what actions we will take and what the likely costs will be. That will allow us to be realistic about what is achievable.
Pest management is underway, which is a good starting point. However, broader environmental considerations including catchment-level planning are part of the next stage of work. That is our focus for early 2026.
CARBON AND FORESTRY
Can you explain the treatment of carbon income in the financial statements and clarify the current carbon position?
Carbon is both valuable and complex.
In terms of valuation, when we assess the value of the forest, we cannot “double count” by recognising both production forestry value and carbon value as assets at the same time. Currently, the forest valuation (approximately $90+ million) is based entirely on production forestry. Therefore, carbon units are not separately recognised as an asset on the balance sheet.
Instead, when carbon units are sold, the income is recognised as revenue. This is why the $14.9 million flows through the income statement rather than appearing as an asset.
If we were to revalue carbon units annually on the balance sheet, the volatility in carbon pricing could significantly impact reported value. For example, if units were valued at $75 last year and then revalued at $35 this year, it would result in a substantial paper loss (or vice-versa). To avoid that volatility, we have maintained a production forestry valuation approach.
Our strategy is to hold between 800,000 and 1 million carbon units. We are currently sitting at approximately 600,000 units. This is partly due to the five-year mandatory emissions return process, where units must be reported to the Government. We expect additional units to be credited in the coming months.
Market conditions have also affected carbon pricing. Some landowners under financial pressure have sold units into the market, contributing to price decreases. Mangatu is in a strong position. We do not need to sell and can instead hold and seek strategic partnerships to maximise value.
In terms of “safe carbon”, this refers to holding sufficient units to allow continued harvesting and replanting. Our forest was established with harvesting in mind, not permanent forestry. The carbon strategy supports a cycle of harvesting, replanting, and regrowth, maintaining balance over time.
MANGATU FOREST TREATY CLAIM
What is happening with the Mangatu Forest Treaty claim?
This is an ongoing process for Mangatu and we remain committed to the return of these lands.
Initial claims were filed back in 1992, and we have gone through a succession of steps since then.
The theme for this claim has been ‘Hurry up and wait’: There will be a whole lot of work to happen, whether it is Waitangi Tribunal Hearings or being back before the courts, and then we could be waiting anywhere from nine months to a couple of years. It all seems to come in waves.
So, what has happened over the past year? For context, the Tribunal came out with their decision in 2021 and it can be summed up as being pretty good for Māori. On the back of that the Crown decided they would appeal. In 2023, we went through the process of appearing before the Court of Appeal and it wasn’t until November of last year that we finally got the decision from the Court of Appeal. It is unfortunate to have to report that the decision was pretty bad for Māori so now we are in the process of considering options and next steps.
We are seriously considering going to the Supreme Court, and currently focusing mainly on the how — what the strategy would be.
We remain very much committed to the ongoing process. We will provide a succinct update on the claims process and next steps at the AGM.
What was the outcome of the recent Court of Appeal decision regarding the Mangatu claim?
The Court of Appeal considered matters of law raised by the Crown in response to the Waitangi Tribunal decision. The Court was not determining what claimants deserved or what compensation should be awarded. Instead, it addressed legal questions, such as whether the Tribunal’s findings correctly related to Crown land and whether 100% compensation was appropriate.
The Court of Appeal did not determine compensation outcomes for claimants, as that was not the purpose of the appeal.
Although the decision was not favourable, we previously received very strong findings from the Waitangi Tribunal including:
- A 2004 finding that Mangatu’s claim relating to the 1961 lands was well founded.
- A 2007 decision affirming the appropriateness of returning 100% of the lands and 100% compensation.
We remain committed to pursuing the return of the lands, rentals, and associated compensation, and to achieving the best possible outcome for Māori within the district.
Cost to date: $3,466,466 (2006 – 2025).
CONNECTION AND WHAKAPAPA
What is the incorporation’s role to facilitate connection between the owners?
Many owners are reconnecting, and the Incorporation will continue to provide opportunities for owners to access the whenua and engage in hui, tours, attending AGMs, and meeting whānau in person.
There is a big desire for whakapapa, wānaga, and hikoi. The connection is not just financial, and there is an intergenerational focus. On the farm tours we had people bringing their moko and younger generations and that is really great to see.
How can the incorporation assist with whakapapa?
The shareholder register is run through a system using Māori Land Online, so there may be a way we can help with whakapapa by seeing the way that shares are tracked back to a tīpuna.
At the moment that is not easily done, but the Mangatu office should be able to help you with that. Because it is done through the share register, we would be able to tell you about the transfer of shares, but we wouldn’t be able to tell you about how you are uri through that process.
One of the ways of tracking backwards is getting some preliminary data about yourself or your parents or your grandparents, about what their marae is, any cemeteries that you know whānau are in, and then we follow backwards through Māori Land Online, and we hunt for similar blocks in areas that you think you might come from.
With new technology, there may be other ways we could help people who are having trouble connecting back to their whenua and we will look into that.
SHARES, SUCCESSIONS, AND TRANSFERS
What are the processes for succession?
Successions are a challenging space and the system can be difficult to navigate.
The process for successions happens through the Māori Land Court – that is where lost pieces of land are rediscovered and owners are looked for, or a shareholder dies without a will, and it takes the Māori Land Court a bit of work to work through that – or it can be straight forward and be managed through the office.
We do encourage you to take your specific concerns to the team at Mangatu office and they can assist you with your questions.
Over 2024 and 2025, the Committee engaged with the Māori Land Court and provided workshops for succession. These were not well attended so they were stopped, returning to a more individual case by case situation.
What is the process for share successions and transfers, and how does this affect voting eligibility?
Current succession applications are being processed as quickly as possible. We work through these regularly and do not wait for Committee meetings to progress them
At present, most applications are moving through the system efficiently, with regular coordination occurring on a weekly basis. The shares that remain unable to vote are generally those involved in more complex succession matters that are still before the Māori Land Court.
As the Mangatu Committee, we are committed to processing all successions as promptly as we can.
Can Mangatu shares be bought and sold?
It is important to note that there is a completely independent process for this. The Committee does not support the selling of shares and believes they should remain within their respective whānau. Where a shareholder indicates they wish to sell, the office encourages the shareholder to retain the shares or keep them within the immediate whanau.