Foreshore and Seabed Register

Introduction

The Chief Executive of the Ministry of Justice is responsible for maintaining a public register of the various court orders and ministerial agreements made under the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004.

The public foreshore and seabed register is a permanent record of:

• The orders made, varied or cancelled by the Maori Land Court or High Court. These include customary rights orders, or territorial customary rights orders;
• agreements entered into by ministers to recognise groups that would have had territorial customary rights, but for Crown ownership of the public foreshore and seabed;
• the management plans for any foreshore and seabed reserves;
• controls imposed on customary rights orders by the Minister of Conservation under the Resource Management Act 1991; and
• any restrictions or prohibitions on access imposed by Ministers over a wāhi tapu or site of significance.

The register is available through Ministry of Justice offices, and at the offices of local authorities via this website.