All documents forming part of the permanent record of the Māori Land Court are available for inspection and copying under Rule 7.21 of the Māori Land Court Rules 2011.
The definition of permanent record includes:
minutes of the court (contained in) minute books
closed application files
orders of the court including any order (or certificate) of the registrar
all documents noted by the court or the registrar including:
documents held on title notice files
all instruments of alienation
documents that trusts and incorporations are required to file with the Court under their trust orders or the Māori Incorporations Constitution Regulations or the Māori Reservations Regulations or Te Ture Whenua Māori Act (the Act)
any other document required by law or regulation to be held by the court.
register of Māori incorporations required to be kept under section 279 of the Act
trust files created and held in each registry office
Māori incorporation files held in each registry office
estate files and personal files held in each registry office
block files
ownership schedules
memorial schedules
consolidation files
consolidation index cards
succession and estate index cards
survey files
national and district pānui
any other document the court or a registrar considers necessary to be included.
Access to the permanent record is at the office of the court in which it is deposited or electronically through the Māori Land Information Service (MLIS) in any court office where available.
Access is subject to the discretion of the registrar (particularly those records created prior to 2000). The following will also be considered; age of the record, its condition, its location and the proposed access to the records policy being developed as part of the Preservation of the Record Project. Subject to the discretion of the registrar, the cost of providing copies of the permanent record or of reports records from MLIS is set at 20c (including GST) per page.
Any documents that are not part of the permanent record are subject to the Official Information Act 1982 and therefore access and release is assessed by the local district manager.