Massey University Professor Regina Scheyvens and a team of researchers have received funding from the Royal Society's Marsden Fund to investigate the relationship between customary land practices and financial gain.
Accroding to RNZ, Ms Scheyvens said land in the Pacific is often talked about as a barrier to economic development.
"There are a lot of people who believe that unless land is freehold it can't be used for economic development, it's not going to be productive, it's not going to be considered as good at attracting foreign investment into the Pacific."
