Ao Tūroa - Natural World

The library has a wide variety of resources that cover the natural world as part of our Heritage Māori Collection and Heritage Hawke's Bay Māori Collection. 

Databases:

We have a range of useful databases, which can be accessed on our Digital Content page.  Two key resources are:

Māori Land Court Minute Book Index

The Māori Land Court Minute Book Index (MLCMBI) provides quick and easy access to over 1,100 hand written minute book records which were made between 1865 and 1910, from the Taitokerau, Waikato-Maiapoto, Tairawhiti, Waiariki, Aotea, Takitimu, and Waipounamu Māori Land Court.  The MLCMBI database was created by the University of Auckland Library and is hosted exclusively by The Knowledge Basket.

Note: this resource is an index. Researchers will also need access to the Minute Books themselves, which are available in print at the Māori Land Court. The local office is in Hastings for the Tākitimu district. The Tākitimu boundaries are the Mōhaka River in the north to the Wairarapa in the south.

Māori Plant Use

The Māori Plant Use database from Landcare Research Manaaki Whenua provides easy access to detailed information on Māori traditional uses of New Zealand native plants.

Other Useful Resources: 

• Crown Forestry Rental Trust - the Trust works to expedite the settlement of Māori claims against the Crown, which involve or could involve Crown forest licensed lands.
• Environmental Protection Authority Te Mana Rauhī Taiao - protecting the environment and the people who live and work in it, for a better way of life.
• Fisheries New Zealand - fisheries and acquaculture information from Fisheries New Zealand Tini a Tangaroa.
• Māori Customary Use - Department of Conservation paper on Māori customary use of native birds, plants and other traditional materials.
  
• Māori Land Court Te Kooti Whenua Māori - if you own or have an interest in Māori land, the Māori Land Court is a judicial forum through which you can interact with other owners or interested people about the current and future use, ownership, occupation and/or management of Māori land. 
• Māori Land Legislation Database - a database managed by the University of Auckland.
• Māori Land Online - provides a snapshot of current ownership, trustee, memorial and block information for land that falls within the jurisdiction of the Māori Land Court under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 and other legislation.
• Te Ohu Kaimoana - Te Ohu Kaimoana works to advance Māori interests in the marine environment, including fisheries, commercial fisheries and aquaculture.
• Te Papa Atawhai - The Department of Conservation is the government agency charged with conserving New Zealand's natural and historic heritage.