Subject to the provisions of any other Act relating to the delegation of the Minister’s powers under that Act, the Minister may from time to time, by writing under his hand, either generally or particularly, delegate to any officer or officers of the department all or any of the powers exercisable by him as Minister under any enactment including powers delegated to him under any enactment, but not including the power to delegate under this section.

Subject to any general or special directions given or conditions attached by the Minister, an officer to whom any powers are delegated under this section may exercise those powers in the same manner and with the same effect as if they had been conferred on him directly by this section and not by delegation.

Until a delegation made under this section is revoked, it shall continue in force according to its tenor; and, in the event of the Minister by whom any such delegation has been made ceasing to hold office, the delegation shall continue to have effect as if made by the person for the time being holding office as Minister.

In the event of an officer to whom a delegation under this section has been made ceasing to hold the office that he held when the delegation was made, the delegation shall continue to have effect as if made to the person for the time being holding that office or, if there is no person holding that office, to the person (if any) for the time being authorised to exercise the powers of the holder of that office.

The fact that an officer of the department exercises any power of the Minister shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be sufficient evidence that he has been authorised to do so by a delegation under this section.

Every delegation made under this section shall be revocable at will, and no such delegation shall prevent the exercise of any power by the Minister.

Any person aggrieved by any decision of the Board or any determination of an administrative nature by the Board may, within 21 days after being notified of that decision or determination, apply to the Board for a rehearing, and the Board may, at any time within 1 month after receiving the application, grant a rehearing of the case if it thinks that justice requires it, and on the rehearing may reverse, alter, modify, or confirm the previous decision or determination in the same case:

provided that the Board shall not grant a rehearing where the decision or determination relates to the allotment of land to any person other than the person aggrieved unless that land has been allotted by the Board pursuant to the powers conferred on it by section 54.

Every application for a rehearing under this section shall be lodged with the Commissioner at the principal land office of the district in which the land concerned is situated.

This section applies with the necessary modifications if a person is aggrieved by any decision of the Commissioner under the Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998.

Where any lessee or licensee under any lease or licence granted under this Act or any former Land Act considers himself aggrieved by any decision of the Board affecting the lease or licence, he may appeal to the High Court if, within 1 month after being notified of that decision, he gives notice of appeal to the Board, and also to such persons (if any) as have appeared before the Board as opponents of the case or claim or application to which the decision relates, and also gives security, to be approved by the Registrar of the court, for the costs of the appeal:

provided that no such appeal shall lie—

Every notice to the Board under the last preceding subsection shall be lodged with the Commissioner at the principal land office for the district in which the land concerned is situated.

The appeal shall be in the form of a case agreed on by the Board and the appellant, or, if they cannot agree, the court shall hear the appeal without a case stated, and in any case may receive evidence either orally or by affidavit or by both of such means.

The court, if it thinks fit, instead of deciding any question of fact in dispute upon affidavit or personal examination by it of witnesses, may order that question to be found and determined by a jury, and may settle an issue or issues for that purpose.

After hearing the parties, the court shall give its decision, and cause the same to be certified in writing by the Registrar of the court to the Board, and the Board shall be bound to follow that decision, and shall reverse, alter, modify, or confirm its own decision in accordance therewith.

The court may make such order as to payment of costs to either party as it thinks fit.

For following such decision no action or other proceeding by any process of any court shall lie against the Sovereign, or the Board, or any Land Settlement Committee, or the Commissioner.

The Board may, either at the instance of a party or of its own motion, in any case of doubt upon a question of law, submit a case thereon in writing to a Judge or Judges of the High Court, who, after hearing the parties or their counsel, or without so doing, as the Judge or Judges think fit, shall certify his or their opinion thereon in writing to the Board, and the Board shall be guided by that opinion.

For following that opinion no action or any other proceeding by any process of any court shall lie against the Sovereign, or the Board, or any Land Settlement Committee, or the Commissioner.

The procedure on any appeal to the High Court under section 18 or on the hearing and deciding of questions stated under the last preceding section shall be in accordance with the practice and procedure of the court.

Nothing in the foregoing provisions of this Act relating to appeals shall authorise or permit an appeal from the decision of the Board upon any question affecting the title of the Crown to any land.

The following land districts are hereby declared to be land districts under this Act, that is to say:

the North Auckland Land District:

the South Auckland Land District:

the Gisborne Land District:

the Hawke’s Bay Land District:

the Taranaki Land District:

the Wellington Land District:

the Nelson Land District:

the Marlborough Land District:

the Canterbury Land District:

the Westland Land District:

the Otago Land District:

the Southland Land District.

The South Auckland Land District referred to in the last preceding subsection is hereby declared to be the same land district as the Auckland Land District constituted under section 29 of the Land Act 1924.

The Governor-General may, by Order in Council, from time to time—

An order under this section is secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements).

Unless and until otherwise determined by the Governor-General pursuant to the last preceding section, the Kermadec Group of islands shall be deemed to be included within the North Auckland Land District, the Chatham Islands within the Wellington Land District, and Solander Island and Ruapuke Island, in Foveaux Strait, the Snares Islets, the Auckland Islands, Enderby Islands, Campbell Island, the Antipodes Islands, the Bounty Islands, and all other islands or islets within the limits of New Zealand which lie south of the 47th parallel of south latitude within the Southland Land District.

A person must be appointed under the Public Service Act 2020 to hold office as the Commissioner of Crown Lands.

The Commissioner must report directly to the Minister on the exercise and performance of the Commissioner’s statutory powers and functions.

The Commissioner may, under clauses 2 and 3 of Schedule 6 of the Public Service Act 2020, delegate to the employees of the department, in the same manner and to the same extent as if the Commissioner were the chief executive of the department, any power—

The powers and duties of a Commissioner of Crown Lands, exercisable for and on behalf of the Crown in respect of all Crown land within his district, shall be—

Subject to any general or special directions given by the Board, the Commissioner may delegate to any officer of the department any of the powers set out in the last preceding subsection. The provisions of subsections (3), (4), (5), and (6) of section 15 shall apply, with the necessary modifications, to any delegation by the Commissioner under this subsection.

The Commissioner may comment on, or provide input for, processes and decisions that may affect the Crown’s interest as landowner of Crown land (for example, district plan changes).

All actions and proceedings by or on behalf of the Sovereign respecting Crown land within any district or respecting any contract relating thereto, or any breach of any such contract, or any trespass thereon, or any damages accruing by reason of trespass thereon, or for the recovery of any rents, purchase moneys, or other moneys in respect of Crown land, or in respect of any damages or wrongs whatsoever in any way suffered by the Crown in respect of Crown land, and any proceedings for the breach of any provision of this Act, may be commenced, prosecuted, and carried on by and in the name of the Commissioner on behalf of the Sovereign, and the Commissioner may be plaintiff, or defendant, or prosecutor, as the case may require, in any such action or proceeding.

All documents which require to be executed for the purposes of this Act by or on behalf of the Sovereign, or by or on behalf of the Board, may, unless otherwise provided by this Act, be executed by the Commissioner and, if so executed, shall be as valid and effectual as if executed by or on behalf of the Sovereign, or by or on behalf of the Board, as the case may be.

See section 4 of the Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998 for outcomes that persons performing or exercising functions, duties, or powers in relation to pastoral land must seek to achieve.

When any person, without any right, title, or licence, or whose right, title, or licence has expired or been forfeited or cancelled, is in occupation of any Crown land, or of any public reserve not granted to or vested in any local body, trustees, or other persons, the Commissioner, or some person appointed in writing by him, may enter a plaint in the office of the District Court within the district in which the land is situated to recover possession thereof; and the jurisdiction of the court or District Court Judge shall not be ousted on the plea that a question of title is involved in any such case, or that the value of the premises of which possession is sought to be recovered is in excess of the jurisdiction of the court or District Court Judge.

If, on the hearing of the plaint, the defendant does not appear, or appears but fails to establish in himself an absolute right or title to the possession of the land, or if it is shown by or on behalf of the plaintiff, to the satisfaction of the court hearing the plaint, that the title under which the defendant claims has, as between himself and the Sovereign, expired or become liable to forfeiture or cancellation, the court shall declare such title to be extinguished, and may order that possession of the land sought to be recovered be given by the defendant to the plaintiff, either forthwith or on or before such a day as the court thinks fit to name, and that the defendant do pay the costs.

If possession is not given pursuant to that order, the District Court Judge or any Justice may issue a warrant requiring the bailiff of the court, or any constable, to give possession of those lands to the plaintiff.

Sections 194 to 197 and 199 of the District Court Act 2016 apply to any proceedings under this section.

For the purpose of inspecting any Crown land held on lease or licence, the Director-General of Lands or any person authorised by him in writing shall, at all reasonable times, have free rights of ingress, egress, and regress, in respect of that land.

Every person who obstructs the Director-General of Lands or any person authorised by him in the making of an inspection, or who refuses or wilfully neglects to answer any reasonable question put to him in writing by the Director-General of Lands or any person so authorised, or who makes to him any wilful misstatement, commits an offence against this Act.

Moneys required for any of the following purposes may be paid out of a Crown Bank Account from moneys appropriated by Parliament for the purpose:

Nothing contained in the last preceding subsection shall prevent the payment out of any other account in a Crown Bank Account, for any purpose set out in that subsection, of moneys appropriated by Parliament to that other account for any such purpose.

Except where otherwise provided in this or any other Act, all rents, interest, fees, assessments, purchase moneys, improvement moneys, payments for livestock, chattels, and farm produce, and other moneys payable under the provisions of this Act shall be paid to the department, and shall be paid by the department, except where otherwise prescribed in this or any other Act, into a Crown Bank Account.

Where any endowment or other land is administered by the Board on behalf of any public body or other authority, or in trust for any purpose, and no provision is made elsewhere than by this section for payment being made to a Crown Bank Account in respect of the cost of administration, there may, without further authority than this section, be deducted and paid into a Crown Bank Account from the revenues from time to time derived from that land such amount as the Minister of Finance determines, not exceeding in respect of the expenses of any year an amount equal to 5% of the total amount of revenues derived from the land for that year.

The land on which any trigonometrical station is situate, together with a right of way to and from the same, shall, for the purposes of survey, and notwithstanding any alienation thereof, be deemed and taken to be Crown land and to have been and to be excepted out of any such alienation.

If in any action or proceeding touching or concerning any Crown land, or any grant, lease, or licence relating thereto, any question arises as to the limits or extent of, or as to the boundary of any land comprised in, any grant, lease, or licence, it shall be competent for the court before which the action or proceeding is pending to order and direct that that question shall be referred to any person or persons whom the court thinks fit, subject to such terms and conditions as the court thinks fit; and the award, order, and determination of that person or persons shall be conclusive in the action or proceeding as to the matter so referred, and shall be binding on the parties, and may be enforced as a rule of the court, and the court may make such rule or order as it deems fit touching such reference or the costs thereof.

The Board, on behalf of the Sovereign, may, with the approval of the Minister, purchase any private land, or the interest of any lessee or licensee in any Crown land or Maori land, for the purposes of settlement as farming, urban, commercial or industrial, or pastoral land under this Act, or for any government purpose, or for use in conjunction with land which is already used, or intended to be used, or any of these purposes.

Before purchasing any private land or any interest in Crown land or Maori land under this section, it shall be the duty of the Board to ascertain, by report and valuation of 1 or more competent valuers, and by such other means as it thinks fit, the value thereof and its suitability for the purposes for which it is to be acquired under this Act.

On the approval of the Minister being given to the purchase, the Board may execute all deeds and instruments and do and perform all acts necessary for the completion of the purchase.

In payment either in whole or in part for private land or interest in Crown land or Maori land purchased under this section the Board may agree with the vendor that he will accept a grant in fee simple or a lease or licence of any Crown land; and in such a case the Commissioner shall, when so required by the Board, give effect to the agreement by executing such documents as may be necessary to give effect thereto.

All private land and all interests in Maori land purchased under this section shall when so purchased be deemed to be Crown land subject to this Act.

The Board, on behalf of the Sovereign, may, with the approval of the Minister, lease from any person any private land for use in conjunction with Crown land.

Any such lease may be entered into on such terms and conditions as the Board thinks fit:

provided that, before entering into the lease, the Board shall ascertain, by report and valuation by at least 1 competent valuer and by such other means as the Board thinks fit, the value of the land and its suitability for the use proposed in respect thereof.

On the approval of the Minister being given to a proposal to lease private land pursuant to this section, the Board may execute all agreements, deeds, and instruments and do and perform all acts necessary to obtain the lease.

Where any private land is leased to the Board pursuant to this section, the Board shall, subject to the terms and conditions of the lease, have the powers in respect of the land that it would have if the land were Crown land.

Where land is vested in trustees without power of sale the trustees may, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the instrument containing the trust, agree to the sale or exchange of the land under section 40 as if the said trustees were beneficial owners of the land with power of sale, and may execute all valid instruments of assurance for the purpose of vesting the land in the Sovereign.

Land purchased by the Sovereign under section 40 shall be deemed to be discharged from the trusts theretofore affecting it.

All moneys received by the trustees in respect of the sale of the land, and all Crown land vested in them by way of exchange, shall be held by them upon the same trusts as affected the first-mentioned land immediately prior to its being so sold or exchanged; and for the purpose of giving effect to the trusts the trustees may, when necessary, apply the moneys in the purchase of other land:

provided that this subsection shall not affect the jurisdiction of the High Court to vary or modify the trusts in any case where that jurisdiction would have existed if the land had remained vested in the trustees.

Nothing in this section shall authorise the sale or exchange of any land held in trust for persons of the Maori race.

The Minister of Lands may from time to time, by notice in the Gazette, declare any land set apart for the purposes of Part 1 of the Housing Act 1955 to be Crown land subject to this Act as from a date to be specified in the notice, which date may be the date of the notice or any date before or after the date of the notice, and as from the date so specified the land shall be deemed to be Crown land subject to this Act.

Where—

comprises the whole of the land for which any instrument of title has been issued under the Land Transfer Act 2017, the instrument of title shall be cancelled.

Where before the commencement of this Act any private land or Maori land has been purchased or acquired by the Crown for the purposes of any former Land Act and is subject to the Land Transfer Act 2017 or to the Deeds Registration Act 1908,—

Where any such land comprises part of the land for which any instrument of title has been issued, the instrument of title shall be cancelled so far as it relates to that part of the land. The Registrar-General of Land shall retain the partially cancelled instrument, and when required by the person entitled thereto shall issue to that person, without payment of any fee, a record of title for the balance of the land included in the partially cancelled instrument.

Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this section, where the land is subject to a lease current at the date of the purchase or acquisition or declaration as Crown land or setting apart as a reserve, as the case may be, or at the commencement of this section, whichever is the later, the record of title shall enure in the name of the Sovereign until the expiry or sooner determination of the lease, and shall then be cancelled or partially cancelled, as the case may be.

No such cancellation shall in any way affect the rights of any person entitled to any registered easement not acquired by the Crown.

The foregoing provisions of this section shall not apply in respect of any private land leased by the Board pursuant to section 40A.

In any case where any unformed and unused road intersects or is adjacent to any private land or interest in Crown land purchased under this Part and is not suitable to the subdivision of the land, the Governor-General may, by notification in the Gazette, close such road or portion thereof and declare the land comprised therein to be Crown land subject to this Act.

No road or portion thereof adjacent to any land purchased under this Part shall be closed under the last preceding subsection without the prior consent in writing of the owners of all lands having a frontage to the portion of the road intended to be closed.

For the purpose of preparing any Crown land for settlement, the Board, with the approval of the Minister, may undertake and carry out such development works as it thinks fit, including, but without limiting the generality of the foregoing provisions, the survey, roading, subdivision, draining, reclamation, fencing, clearing, and grassing of the land, the erection of buildings, the provision of electric power and water, and any other works calculated to improve the quality or condition of the land or to make it fit for settlement under this Act.

For the purposes mentioned in the last preceding subsection, the Board may from time to time purchase or otherwise acquire all such livestock, chattels, machinery, equipment, manures, seeds, fencing material, stores, and other materials or things as may in its opinion be required for the proper development of the land.

The Board may from time to time as it thinks fit sell any of the livestock or other things purchased or acquired pursuant to the last preceding subsection, or any livestock, crops, produce, or other things produced on or from the said land.

The Board may carry on all usual farming activities on land developed or being developed under this section until the time is appropriate in the opinion of the Board for the disposal of the land on permanent tenure under this Act; and to this end, in addition to the powers set forth in the last 3 preceding subsections, may employ such managers, sharemilkers, and workmen, let any grazing, and generally enter into such contracts and do such things as in the opinion of the Board are necessary for the proper farming of the land.

Where the Board, in the exercise of its powers under this section, has carried out any soil conservation work on Crown land without any grant or loan made by the Minister for the Environment pursuant to the provisions of section 30 of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941, then, notwithstanding any provision of this Act or any other Act, the Board may, as a condition of alienation of the land, require any purchaser, lessee, or licensee to enter into a land improvement agreement, as if the soil conservation work had been carried out by a grant or loan by the Minister for the Environment under the said section 30, with the Catchment Board or Catchment Commission constituted under the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941 for the district or area, as the case may be, wherein the land is situated, or with the Waikato Catchment Board constituted under the Waikato Valley Authority Act 1956 where the land is situated in the Waikato Valley as defined under that Act, for the future maintenance of that soil conservation work in such manner and upon such terms and conditions as the Board may require. All the provisions of section 30A of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941 relating to the form of registration and the effect of land improvement agreements, as far as they are applicable and with any necessary modifications, shall apply to any land improvement agreement entered into in accordance with the provisions of this subsection.

The Board may, with the approval of the Minister, construct or join with any person or local authority or department of State in constructing roads, bridges, drainage works, river protection works, and other works upon or in respect of Crown land for the purpose of preparing it for settlement as provided in subsection (1) of the last preceding section, or for its protection from injury from floods, river encroachment, or otherwise; or may arrange for the work to be undertaken by that person or local authority or department of State upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon.

In exercise of the powers conferred by subsection (1) of section 44, the Board with the approval of the Minister, may enter into such arrangements as it thinks fit with the trustees of any institution or with any other authority actively concerned in the training of youths for the business of farming in any of its branches, whereby the whole or any defined portion of the work required to be done in order to prepare lands for settlement will be undertaken by that institution or authority.

The Board, with the approval of the Minister, and any local authority may enter into an agreement whereby any land vested in the local authority as an endowment may be made available for disposal in accordance with this section for any period specified in the agreement.

Any such agreement may authorise the Board to undertake and carry out such development works as it thinks fit, including, but without limiting the generality of the foregoing provisions, the survey, roading, subdivision, draining, reclamation, fencing, clearing, and grassing of the land, the erection of buildings, the provision of electric power and water, and any other works calculated to improve the quality or condition of the land or to make it fit for settlement. Any such agreement may provide for—

Where the value of the improvements effected by the Crown under this section to the land comprised in any lease granted under the foregoing provisions of this section has been paid to the Crown by the lessee, or where the amount expended in effecting those improvements has been reimbursed by the local authority, the Minister may cancel the lease and require the local authority to grant to the lessee in lieu thereof a new lease of the land at such rent, for such term, and upon such conditions (not inconsistent with the local authority’s powers in that behalf) as may be determined by agreement with the parties or, in default of agreement, by the Land Valuation Tribunal. In every such case all improvements the value of which has been paid to the Crown by the lessee shall be deemed to have been effected by the lessee and to belong to him.

Upon the granting by the local authority of any such new lease the land comprised therein shall cease to be subject to the agreement with the Board, and the rent payable by the Crown to the local authority under the agreement shall be reduced accordingly by an amount to be agreed upon or, in default of agreement, to be determined by the Controller and Auditor-General.

No lease granted under this section, whether by the Board or by the local authority, shall confer on the lessee any right of acquiring the fee simple of the land comprised therein.

For the purposes of this section, the expression local authority includes any public entity as defined in section 4 of the Public Audit Act 2001.

The authority conferred on the Board by sections 44, 45, and 46 for the development and farming of any Crown land and by section 60 as to the granting or reservation of rights of way, water rights, or other easements over Crown land shall extend and apply to any land purchased, acquired, set apart, or held by the Crown for any government purpose and not for the time being required for that purpose.

Where any land purchased, acquired, set apart, or held by the Crown for any government purpose is not for the time being required for that purpose, the Board may, subject to the provisions of subsection (3), grant a lease or licence of that land for such term, at such rent, and on such conditions as the Board in each case determines:

provided that no lease or licence granted under this subsection shall confer on the lessee or licensee the right of acquiring the fee simple of the land.

No development or farming of any such land shall be undertaken and no lease or licence over the same shall be granted without the consent of the Minister for the time being vested with the control of the land and every such lease or licence shall be on such terms and conditions as that Minister approves.

Every lease or licence granted under this section shall be drawn up and executed in the manner provided by Part 5 as if the land were Crown land, but it shall not be necessary to register any such lease or licence under the Land Transfer Act 2017, unless the Board in any case otherwise determines.

The Registrar-General of Land shall, if the lease or licence is produced to him for registration, register it in the manner provided in Part 5 as if the land were Crown land, and likewise shall register all subsequent dealings with the lease or licence and all such subsequent dealings shall be subject to the provisions of Part 5. Where the Crown is the registered owner under a record of title under the Land Transfer Act 2017 of the whole or part of the land in any lease or licence under this section, the lease or licence shall contain a reference to every record of title issued in respect of any land therein, and the Registrar-General of Land shall enter a memorial of the lease or licence and of all subsequent dealings with the lease or licence on every such record of title.

The provisions of section 85 as to rebates on payments shall not apply to any lease or licence granted under this section, unless the Board in any case otherwise determines.

Where any timber or flax is growing on any Crown land, or where any Crown land contains deposits of any minerals, the Board, with the approval of the Minister, may do such work as it thinks fit, including, but without limiting the generality of the foregoing provisions, the erection of buildings, the construction of roads, bridges, and railways, and the installation of machinery and electric power, and may enter into such contracts and agreements as it may consider necessary for the proper development, working, extraction, use, and disposal of the timber, flax, or deposits, to the best advantage. Any contract or agreement entered into under this section shall be for such term and subject to such conditions, including the payment of royalty, as the Board, with the approval of the Minister, may consider necessary.

The powers conferred on the Board under this section shall extend to any deposits which are under the surface of the land, notwithstanding that the surface of the land may have been alienated on any tenure under this Act; but any work undertaken, or contracts or agreements entered into, shall be subject to the provisions of subsection (2) of section 59 relating to the payment of compensation for damage to improvements existing on the land.

The powers conferred by this section are in addition to the powers conferred by Part 11.

Any 2 or more persons, being occupiers of land situated within a water area, may, by complying with the provisions of the Companies Act 1993, as modified by this Act, form an incorporated association with limited liability under the name of “The [distinctive name of association] Community Water Supply Association Limited”.

Every association shall be registered in the manner provided by the Companies Act 1993 for the registration of companies and, subject to this section and the next 3 succeeding sections, shall be deemed to be a company incorporated under that Act having the liability of its shareholders limited as provided in section 97 of that Act, and the provisions of that Act shall apply accordingly.

The constitution of every association shall be in a form prescribed by the Governor-General by Order in Council, and the association may not alter or add to its constitution without the prior consent of the Board.

Notwithstanding section 16 of the Companies Act 1993, the capacity of the association shall be restricted to—

For the purposes of subsection (4), the association shall have full rights, powers, and privileges.

Every association shall, for the purposes of section 50, be deemed to be an association comprised of or acting on behalf of the owners, lessees, and licensees of land in the water area, and shall have, in respect of the waterworks comprised in the community water supply scheme (whether constructed by the association or purchased by it), the powers conferred on the Board by subsections (3), (4), and (5) of that section as if references in those subsections to the Board were references to the association.

An association may from time to time invest any of its funds in any securities that are for the time being authorised by law for the investment of trust funds, or in such other securities as the Board from time to time approves.

In this section and in the next 5 succeeding sections,—

The provisions of this section (as in force before the commencement of the Company Law Reform (Transitional Provisions) Act 1994) shall continue to apply in relation to every association constituted before the commencement of that Act.

An order under subsection (3) is secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements).

Subject to the constitution of the association, the association shall issue shares in such numbers and classes as the Board may determine having regard to the value of and benefit to the water area of the community water scheme.

The number of shares to be issued to each member shall be determined by the Board, having regard to the benefit likely to be derived by his or her land from the scheme.

Every decision of the Board under subsections (1) and (1A) shall be final, and shall be binding on the association and its members.

No share certificate shall be issued in respect of shares in an association.

Calls may be made upon the members of an association in respect of any money unpaid on their shares for expenditure for the following purposes only:

No member shall sell or otherwise dispose of his shares except to a person who also purchases or otherwise acquires the whole or part of the interest of the member in land within the water area.

Where a member sells or otherwise disposes of the whole or part of his interest in land within the water area, he shall also transfer to the purchaser or transferee his shares in the association or, where only part of his interest in the land is sold or disposed of, such proportion of his shares as the Board determines.

Where any member fails to comply with the provisions of subsection (5) within a period of 3 months after the sale or disposal of his interest in the land or, in any case where only part of his interest in the land is sold or disposed of, within 3 months after the determination of the Board under that subsection is communicated to him, the shares which he is required by that subsection to transfer to the purchaser or transferee shall, at the expiration of that period be deemed to have been surrendered to the association and shall be reissued by the association to the purchaser or transferee as if they had not been previously issued.

For the purposes of this section, a member shall be deemed to have sold or disposed of his land or part thereof if he enters into a binding agreement to sell or dispose of the land or part thereof.

A member shall not mortgage, charge, or otherwise encumber his shares.

Every member shall, when called upon in writing by the association to do so, execute in favour of the association a registrable mortgage as a charge on his interest in the land in the water area to secure to the association the amount from time to time unpaid on his shares and also all levies from time to time made upon him by the association under section 50. Every such mortgage shall be in a form approved by the Board and shall be subject to such terms and conditions as the Board approves, but shall not provide for the payment of interest except on the default by the mortgagor in the payment of any moneys secured by the mortgage.

Where any member fails to execute a registrable mortgage in favour of the association when called upon to do so under subsection (1), the association may refuse to supply water to the member until he executes such a mortgage.

Where the association exercises its power of sale under a mortgage given to it pursuant to subsection (1), the shares of the mortgagor in the association shall be deemed to have been surrendered to the association and shall be reissued by the association to the purchaser as if they had not been previously issued, or, where the association is the purchaser in exercise of its power of sale, shall be held by the association and shall be so reissued to the purchaser when the land is subsequently resold.

Where any other mortgagee of land of a member within a water area exercises his power of sale under the mortgage,—

Where under this section the association reissues any shares deemed to have been surrendered to it, there shall be paid to the former owner of the shares from the proceeds (if any) received by the association on that reissue such amount as may be agreed upon between the association and the former owner, or in default of agreement, such amount (if any) as the Board determines.

A member may, with the consent of the association, withdraw from membership of an association upon payment to the association of the amount for the time being secured by any mortgage given by him to the association.

Where a member withdraws from membership of an association,—

Advances and readvances to any association may from time to time be made out of a Crown Bank Account from moneys appropriated by Parliament for the purpose or such of the purposes of the association as the Board approves, and upon such security for repayment of the advances and readvances, either by debenture over the assets of the association or otherwise, as the Board thinks fit, and at such rate of interest as the Minister of Finance determines.

Subject to the provisions of subsection (2) and paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section 50C, every association shall, having regard to the total amount of water at its disposal, supply to every member such amount of water as he may reasonably require for irrigation or for household or farming purposes on his land in the water area.

Where any dispute arises between any member (being a lessee or licensee of Crown land) and the association as to the amount of water to which the member is entitled under subsection (1), or as to whether the association is supplying to such a member the amount of water to which he is so entitled, the dispute shall be referred to the Land Settlement Board, whose decision thereon shall be final and binding on the member and the association.

The procedure to be adopted by the Land Settlement Board in hearing and determining any dispute referred to it under subsection (2) shall be as prescribed by regulations made under this Act or, where there are no such regulations or in so far as the regulations do not extend, as the Board determines.

In this section the term member includes the mortgagee in possession of the land of a member or the lessor or licensor who is in possession of the land of a member in exercise of any right of forfeiture or re-entry in any lease or licence.

All Crown land available for disposal under this Act may be classified by the Board into—

The Board may also classify under the last preceding subsection any Crown land which is held on lease or licence at the commencement of this Act and has not already been classified.

The Commissioner may classify again under subsection (1) any land (other than pastoral land) that has at any time been classified under that subsection or a corresponding provision of a former Land Act, whether or not the land is at the time let on any lease or licence.

The Board may alienate Crown land on any tenure under this Act either after calling for applications therefor or without competition in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

In addition to the powers conferred by the last preceding subsection, the Board may offer any land for acquisition under this Act by public auction at an upset price or rental value or by public tender at a minimum price or rental value.

The Board shall not give less than 1 month’s public notice of any offering of land under the last preceding subsection, and shall specify in the notice the time and place at which the auction is intended to be held or, as the case may be, the time and place for the lodging of tenders:

provided that in special circumstances the Board may reduce the time to not less than 10 days.

The Board may refuse to accept any bid or tender for any reason for which it may refuse or reject any application under section 75 or section 175.

Subject to the provisions of this section, every alienation by public auction or public tender under this section shall be subject to such conditions as the Board may prescribe.

Land which has been offered for sale or lease by public auction or public tender under this section and which has not been disposed of on the day of the auction or the closing of tenders shall, subject to the next succeeding subsection, remain open for acquisition at the upset or minimum price or rental value.

Any offering of land which has been notified as open for acquisition under this section may at any time be withdrawn by the Board or the Commissioner, notwithstanding that bids or tenders have been received under subsection (2) or that application to acquire the land has been made under the last preceding subsection.

The Board may by public notice call for applications for any Crown land available for alienation under this Act.

The notice shall specify the price or rental value or yearly rent at which the land and any improvements thereon may be acquired, and the time and place for the making of applications.

The time within which applications may be made shall be not less than 1 month from the date when the land is first notified as being open for acquisition:

provided that in special circumstances the Board may reduce the time to not less than 10 days.

All land which has been notified as open for acquisition under this section and which has not been disposed of on the day mentioned in the notice shall remain open for acquisition on the terms advertised:

Any land which has been notified as open for acquisition under this section may at any time be withdrawn by the Board or the Commissioner, notwithstanding that application to acquire the land may have been made.

The Board may alienate any Crown land without public notice under the last preceding section and without competition, either by way of sale, or lease, or licence, at such price or rent and subject to such terms and conditions as the Board may determine, in any of the following cases:

Before approving any application under this section, the Board may require the applicant to advertise his application in some newspaper or newspapers circulating in the locality; and it may also require him to serve notice of his application on the owner, lessee, licensee, or occupier of any land adjacent to the Crown land applied for.

Where any land is disposed of by way of lease or licence under this section to an applicant who already holds land under lease or licence from the Crown, the Board may, in lieu of issuing a lease or licence over the additional land, incorporate it in his existing lease or licence, subject to such increase in the price or rental value or rent as the Board may determine, but otherwise subject to the same terms and conditions as apply to the existing lease or licence. In this subsection the expression lease or licence from the Crown includes a lease, registered under the Land Transfer Act 2017 and current at the date when the land first became Crown land subject to this Act, of land of which the Sovereign is the registered owner under a record of title under the Land Transfer Act 2017.

Where on any Crown land to be disposed of under this Act there are improvements belonging to the Crown, the Board may in its discretion determine that the value, as fixed by the Board, of those improvements, or any of them, shall be purchased by the lessee or licensee as hereinafter provided, or that the lessee or licensee shall pay interest on the value as fixed by the Board of those improvements or any of them at such rate as may be fixed by the Minister of Finance in the same manner as rent. Any such interest shall for the purposes of this Act be deemed to be rent payable under the lease or licence, and the value of any improvements on which interest is so payable shall, in the case of land held on renewable lease under this Act, be deemed to form part of the rental value of the land.

Where the Board determines that any improvements are to be purchased by the lessee or licensee, the amount of the value of the improvements shall be deemed to have been advanced to the lessee or licensee by the Board, and shall be secured and made repayable in such manner and subject to such terms and conditions as the Board may determine, together with interest thereon at such rate as may be fixed by the Minister of Finance.

In order to facilitate the settlement of any farm land or pastoral land which in the opinion of the Board is not likely to be immediately productive or profitable, the Board may determine that on the disposal of the land by way of lease or licence under this Act it shall be exempt from the payment of rent or interest, either wholly or in part, for such period not exceeding 10 years as the Board determines.

Any such exemption may be conditional on the lessee or licensee effecting improvements in addition to those ordinarily required under this Act or be subject to such other conditions as the Board may determine.

The Commissioner may from time to time grant or reserve any right of way, or other easements over or under any Crown land:

provided that where that Crown land is held under lease or licence the lessee or licensee shall be entitled to compensation for any reduction in the value of his lease or licence by reason of the grant of any such easement.

Any grant or reservation of a right of way, or other easement under this section may be subject to such conditions, restrictions, and covenants as the Commissioner determines.

Every instrument granting, pursuant to this section, an easement over any Crown land not held under lease or licence may be registered with the Registrar-General of Land in the same manner, with the necessary modifications, as any lease or licence of Crown land under this Act. Any such instrument granting an easement over Crown land held on lease or licence may be registered with the Registrar-General of Land in the same way as any dealing with that lease or licence.

When determining whether to grant an easement over or under pastoral land, the Commissioner may consider—

Before granting an easement over or under pastoral land, the Commissioner must consult the Director-General of Conservation.

Despite any enactment or rule of law, the Commissioner may under section 60 create an easement to the Sovereign, in favour of any adjacent Crown land, over all or any part of any land (whether or not already held under lease or licence) that the Commissioner thinks—

Where any easement granting or reserving a right to construct any pipeline over or through any land has been granted or reserved under section 60 and the Board is of the opinion that it is not practicable to show the true course of the pipeline, the position thereof shall be indicated as nearly as possible in the instrument granting or reserving the easement, and, until the contrary is proved, shall be deemed to be the true course.

Where it is subsequently ascertained that any pipeline the subject of the easement which was on the land at the time of the grant or reservation was not at that time on the line or lines so indicated, the grant or reservation shall apply with respect to the correct line upon which it is so ascertained that the pipeline was constructed, as if the correct line had been indicated in the instrument granting or reserving the easement, and all persons affected by the grant or reservation shall have the same rights, powers, and remedies and be subject to the same obligations as if the pipeline had been correctly indicated in the instrument granting or reserving the easement.

No action shall lie against the Crown under subpart 3 of Part 2 of the Land Transfer Act 2017 by reason of the fact that any pipeline in existence on the land at the time of the grant or reservation, if registered under that Act, was not on the line or lines indicated in the instrument making the grant or reservation.

In this section, the term pipeline means any pipes or system of pipes for the supply of water or for the disposal of storm water or sewage; and includes any septic tank, any drain, any well, and any water bore.

The Board may, in any case where it considers it expedient in the public interest to do so, authorise the grant in fee simple of any area of Crown land in exchange for the fee simple of any other land, and on any such exchange the Board may pay or receive any sum by way of equality of exchange.

Any sum payable by the Crown under the last preceding subsection shall be paid out of moneys to be appropriated by Parliament for the purpose.

All land acquired by the Crown by way of exchange under this section shall become Crown land subject to the provisions of this Act.

Crown land may be acquired under this Act on any of the following tenures, as the Board may generally or in any special case determine:

A renewable lease under this Act shall be a lease for a term of 33 years with a perpetual right of renewal for the same term, and, except where otherwise provided in this Act, with a right of acquiring the fee simple in accordance with the provisions of Part 7:

provided that no renewable lease under this Act of land comprised in a reserve or endowment vested in any corporate body or person and administered by the Board shall confer on the lessee the right of acquiring the fee simple.

The term of 33 years shall commence on the next 1 January or 1 July following the date of the lease, and there shall be added to the term the period between the date of the lease and the said day. In the case of a renewal lease, the term shall commence on 1 January or 1 July next following the determination of the former lease.

The yearly rent payable during the first term of a renewable lease shall be,—