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Rates remission for Māori freehold land - Economic use application

This remission aims to encourage Māori landowners to retain their land, safeguard waahi tapu (sacred places), and enable the development of land to provide benefits to whānau and hapū. The following types of land are considered as Māori Freehold Land for our rates remission policy:

  • Māori Freehold Land—Land, which is beneficially owned, as determined by the Māori Land Court by freehold order.
  • Former Māori freehold land now General Title—At Council’s discretion, Land whose status was changed to General Land under the Māori Affairs Amendment Act 1967.
  • General land owned by Māori—As defined in Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 and administered by the Māori Land Court. This status is found on the Record of Title.
  • Any land, regardless of its status, returned as redress or compensation—This applies to a Māori trust, iwi, hapū or other entity, by the Crown or Local Government body, for a historic wrongdoing or breach of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Please complete the following for your application.

Property details

If there are no details showing here, please use the property search.

Valuation reference

Property address

Ratepayer details

If an email address is provided, we will send all correspondence about your rates remission application by email, otherwise we will use the postal address provided.

  • We will require evidence that the land meets the criteria for Māori Freehold Land as described above.
  • Supporting information will need to show how the remission meets our objectives.
  • The maximum term of the remission will be agreed in advance based on the development plan, and will generally be for five years or less, subject to the considerations listed below.
  • The remission may be subject to conditions including:
    • Providing information to establish how paying rates would be a barrier to development.
    • Commencing the development and progress milestones.
  • In determining how long a remission will apply, and whether the proportion of rates remitted varies during different stages of a development, Council will consider:
    • The duration of development and its stages.
    • For commercial developments, when the development is likely to generate income (cash or otherwise).
    • Whether the type of development typically has a long period after initial development before income is generated, and whether rates postponement for a period following an initial remission would provide an equitable outcome.
  • For rates that are postponed, payment of the rates will generally become due when income (cash or otherwise) is generated, but the term of postponement will not exceed six years. A payment plan may also be negotiated, taking into account forecast cash flows and financing opportunities available.
Supporting information

Please provide the following supporting information to support your application.

  • Documentation that the land that meets the criteria of Māori Freehold land as provided by Bay of Plenty Regional Council definition.
  • Supporting documentation of the project, the duration of the project and its stages. Any further detail that can support the remission application.
  • When the development is likely to generate income (cash or otherwise).
Please upload your supporting documents below. You can add multiple documents to support your application.

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Declaration

I confirm that I am a ratepayer in respect of the above property, or that I am authorised by the ratepayer(s) to make this request

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I agree to the Terms and Conditions

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We would like to use your contact details to inform you of Bay of Plenty Regional Council activities and services that may affect you. If you do not want your contact details to be used by us for this purpose, please contact us at: rates@boprc.govt.nz or on 0800 267 728 (BOP RATES). We will not use your contact details for general marketing purposes.

Please refer to our website for details of our rates remission and postponement policies which include more details on each of our remissions and the criteria and considerations that apply to them.