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Story: Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – ngā mātāpono o te Tiriti o Waitangi

Court of Appeal case, 1987

Court of Appeal case, 1987

Mark Metekingi leads a haka outside the Court of Appeal in Wellington before a landmark case in 1987. The New Zealand Māori Council appealed against an earlier ruling on a decision by the Crown to transfer Māori land to state-owned enterprises. The court found that the Crown’s actions breached the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Its judgement set out the first detailed outline of those principles.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PA-Group-00685)

Reference: EP/1987/2084/32a

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Janine Hayward, Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – ngā mātāpono o te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty principles developed by courts, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/32953/court-of-appeal-case-1987 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Janine Hayward, published 1 June 2012, reviewed and revised 16 January 2023 with assistance from Janine Hayward.