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Story: Constitution

The first Waitangi Tribunal report

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The first Waitangi Tribunal report

Early reports issued by the Waitangi Tribunal helped to ensure legal recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi by offering a general meaning of the treaty based on relationships and procedural fairness. The Motunui–Waitara report (1983) was the first of four reports issued by 1986 to contain a discussion of the meaning of the treaty.

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Waitangi Tribunal

Reference: Waitangi Tribunal, Report of the Waitangi Tribunal on the Motunui-Waitara claim (Wai 6). Wellington: Brooker’s, 1989.

by Cliff Whiting

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How to cite this page

Matthew Palmer, Constitution – Constitutional relationships between the Crown and Māori, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/35913/the-first-waitangi-tribunal-report (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Matthew Palmer, published 7 May 2012.