Maori Land Records more accesible

Tu Tangata, Issue 29, 1 April 1986, Page 60

Maori Land Records more accesible

Maori land records will be much more accessible in future. This follows the signing of a cheque for $1.5 million by the Minister of Maori Affairs, the Hon. Koro Wetere. The cheque paid for computer hardware for the MAIA (Maori Affairs Information Automation] project. MAIA was set up in 1983 to implement a comprehensive information system for Maori Affairs.

This includes the introduction of computers to the ten district offices throughout New Zealand. As further finance becomes available, MAIA will be easily expanded to handle information held by other divisions such as Housing and Land Development. Out of 23 tenders, Burroughs Limited won the bid for providing computer hardware. Datacraft Limited, of Wellington, will provide the modem equipment for the communications network.

Besides the computers, Burroughs will also be providing experienced staff to help the Department get underway with the project as soon as possible. The whole project is expected to be running by July 1986. One of the recommendations of the 1980 Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Maori Land Courts was on modernising the records of the Maori Land Court.

Under the present manual system, land records are maintained only at the office for the district in which the land is situated. But with the introduction of a computerised national database, any owner will have access to details about Maori land and its ownership by contacting any Maori Affairs office. MAIA’s next priority is to replace the machines presently used to process a large part of the department’s and Maori Trustee’s accounting data.