Rotuma Lands Act.

This Act provides for various aspects relative to dealings in land in Rotuma and provides for the appointment of the Rotuma Lands Commission. The Commission shall ascertain (traditional) land rights, resolve disputes relative to land rights, demarcate land and register land rights (sect. 4). All land found by the Commission to be un-owned shall vest in the Crown in trust for the Rotuman people, but shall not be considered to be Crown land. All moneys derived from such un-owned land shall be paid into the Rotuman Development Fund and be used for the purposes of that Fund. There shall be a Register called the Register of Rotuman Lands which shall be kept by the District Officer in accordance with section 9. Sections 10 and 11 define the land right conferred by registration. Subject to the provisions of the Crown Acquisition of Lands Act, the Forest Act, the Petroleum (Exploration and Exploitation) Act and the Mining Act, no land registered under this Act shall be capable of being dealt with except in accordance with the provisions of this Act, and every attempt to deal with such land except in accordance with the provisions of this Act shall be ineffective to create, extinguish, transfer, vary or affect any estate or interest in land. No Rotuman or body of Rotumans shall sell, lease, exchange, partition, subdivide or in any way dispose of or deal with land registered under this Act without the consent in writing of the District Officer. Section 15 places restrictions on alienation or lease land in Rotuma. Section 23 and following concerns transmission of title to land by birth or death.