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Story: Te ture – Māori and legislation

The principles of the Treaty of Waitangi

Waitangi Tribunal Court of Appeal Government
Active protection Active protection  
Tino rangatiratanga includes management of resources and other taonga according to Māori cultural preferences Māori retain rangatiratanga over their resources and taonga and have all the rights and privileges of citizenship Self-management
The right to redress for past breaches The right to redress for past breaches The right to redress for past breaches
The exchange of the right to make laws for the obligation to protect Māori interests The freedom of the Crown to govern Government or kawanatanga
Partnership – the needs of both Māori and the wider community must be met Partnership Equality – reasonable co-operation
The courtesy of early consultation The duty to consult  
  The acquisition of sovereignty in exchange for protection of rangatiratanga  
The Crown cannot evade its obligations under the treaty by conferring authority on some other body    
The treaty is an agreement that can be adapted to meet new circumstances    
Taonga include all valued resources and intangible cultural assets    

This table shows how various agencies have interpreted and applied the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi in recent times. Several of these principles have made it easier for Māori to defend their traditional rights and customs under new legislation. They include the principles that the Crown should actively protect Māori interests and that it should consult with Māori.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Mātāpuna: Janine Hayward, 'The principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.' In The Waitangi Tribunal: Te Roopu Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Wellington: Bridget Williams Books, 2004, pp. 29–40

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How to cite this page

Rāwiri Taonui, Te ture – Māori and legislation – Restoring Māori customary law, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/36550/the-principles-of-the-treaty-of-waitangi (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Rāwiri Taonui, published 13 June 2012.