Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975

Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975
New Zealand Parliament
Long title An act to provide for the observance, and confirmation, of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi by establishing a Tribunal to make recommendations on claims relating to the practical application of the Treaty and to determine whether certain matters are inconsistent with the principles of the Treaty.
Royal assent	10 October 1975
Commenced	Immediate
Legislative history
Introduced by	Matiu Rata
Passed	1975
Amended by
1985, 1988 (twice), 1993, 2006
Related legislation
State-Owned Enterprises Act 1986
Status: Current legislation

The Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 gave the Treaty of Waitangi recognition in New Zealand law for the first time and established the Waitangi Tribunal. The tribunal was empowered to investigate possible breaches of the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi by the New Zealand Government or any state-controlled body, occurring after 1975.^[1] It was also empowered to recommend, but not enforce, remedies.

Although the treaty had been a focus of Māori activism for several years, many Māori were disappointed in the efficacy of the Waitangi Tribunal. Most of the significant breaches of the treaty, such as land confiscation in the New Zealand Wars, had occurred in the nineteenth century, and the tribunal was initially in 1975 powerless to investigate these.^[2]