Samoan land law breaches constitution: academic

A New Zealand based Samoan academic, who has recently completed in-depth research into customary land laws, says the Samoan constitution was never designed for a controversial land law that came into force a decade ago.

There's concern among many Samoans that the Land Titles Registration Act or LTRA, which was passed in 2008, now alienates Samoans from their customary land rights.

Otago University's Dr Iati Iati told Sara Vui-Talitu that his research is about to be published and he's already presented his findings at a recent Pacific Law conference held in New Zealand, where some disagreed with his view.