Withdraw your claim

A claimant may at any stage withdraw a claim by advising the Registrar in writing that they wish to withdraw it. The Tribunal will issue a memorandum-directions noting that the claim has been withdrawn.

Where the intention is to withdraw only part of a claim, this should be done by filing an amended statement of claim or by advising the registrar in writing of the specific part that is to be withdrawn.

Points to remember

If the claimant withdraws the whole of a claim from the Tribunal’s register of claims, the Tribunal will no longer have the jurisdiction to inquire into the claim. Additionally, the claimants will not be able to file any further historical claims with the Tribunal, due to section 6AA of the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975, which removes the Tribunal’s jurisdiction to inquire into historical claims filed after 1 September 2008.

Where a claim has more than one named claimant, the Tribunal's standard practice is to require the signature of all named claimants on documents amending, or withdrawing the claim.

However, a lawyer who is representing claimants may file documents with the Tribunal on behalf of her or his clients. Where a lawyer represents claimants, the Tribunal assumes that the lawyer is acting with the authority of those claimants.

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