Historical claims

Historical claims relate to matters that occurred before 21 September 1992. Since 1 September 2008 no new historical claims can be filed.

Most historical claims have been addressed in district inquiries.

Find out more about district inquiries

Remaining Historical Claims

The Tribunal has a number of historical claims before it that have not been settled and have not been fully heard in the ongoing or already completed district inquiries. In September 2015 former Tribunal Chairperson, Chief Judge Wilson Isaac, issued a memorandum outlining a process for the Tribunal’s consideration of claims with historical grievances that have not yet been fully inquired into or settled, and which are not in (or about to be in) negotiation for a Treaty settlement.

Read the September 2015 memorandum concerning remaining historical claims [PDF, 642 KB]

In September 2018 the former Chairperson issued a further memorandum revising the process for remaining historical claims. He explained that Tribunal inquiry districts would be grouped into regions for assignment to a standing panel and appointed himself as presiding officer for a standing panel inquiry into remaining historical claims in the region of the Southern North Island and South Island. In 2019 he appointed Dr Monty Soutar and Dr Robyn Anderson to the panel. 

Following Chief Judge Isaac's retirement as Chairperson, Judge Terena Wara was appointed as presiding officer for the standing panel. Two additional inquiry panel members, Ron Crosby and Kevin Prime were also appointed.

The Inquiry into Remaining Historical Claims: Southern North Island and South Island Claims (Wai 2800)

The Inquiry into Remaining Historical Claims: Southern North Island and South Island Claims (Wai 2800), established in the September 2018 memorandum, will consider remaining historical claims from the following inquiry districts:

a)      Taranaki;

b)      Whanganui;

c)      Te Whanganui a Tara/Wellington;

d)      Te Tau Ihu/Northern South Island;

e)      Southern South Island; and

f)       Rekohu/Chatham Islands.

In the future, the mandate of this standing panel may be extended to other regions, or one or more additional standing panels may also be appointed for other regions.

Further details can be found in the September 2018 memorandum concerning remaining historical claims. [PDF, 106 KB]

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