The land claims presented before the Waitangi Tribunal, first established in 1975 as a permanent commision of inquiry to address claims by the Maori people, are discussed in this analysis of the role of legal courts and commissions in mediating disputes with indigenous peoples.

"This report covers seven claims in Muriwhenua, the country's most northerly district ... Its southern end is fixed by a line from Whangape Harbour in the west to north of Whangaroa in the east, following the Maungataniwha Range. Since Māori hapū or tribes were not generally defined by land boundaries in the manner of states, and were mobile, this boundary is chosen for reasons of geography only. ... claims for the principal hapū aggregations of Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri, and Ngai Takoto ... Te Rarawa ... Ngāti Kuri ... ."-- P. xix.

"The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 by over 500 chiefs, and by William Hobson, representing the British Crown. To the British it was the means by which they gained sovereignty over New Zealand. But to Maori people it had a very different significance, and they are still affected by the terms of the Treaty, often adversely.The Treaty of Waitangi, the first comprehensive study of the Treaty, deals with its place in New Zealand history from its making to the present day. The story covers the several Treaty signings and the substantial differences between Maori and English texts; the debate over interpretation of land rights and the actions of settler governments determined to circumvent Treaty guarantees; the wars of sovereignty in the 1860s and the longstanding Maori struggle to secure a degree of autonomy and control over resources." --Publisher.