FOREWORD

The Hauraki Treaty Claims project has examined the nature and extent of the interaction of Maori with the Crown in the Hauraki tribal territory during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The claims, together with the research and supporting evidence, are set out in eleven volumes. These are presented to the Waitangi Tribunal to support the Hauraki case.

The history of colonisation in Hauraki—the deliberate policies of the Crown leading to the social and economic deprivation endured by those who have gone before us and their years of responsible protest—has not been told before. These volumes, the foundation of the Hauraki case, will forever rewrite our nation's history books, contributing, only now, a Maori perspective to the history of this region.

We began this project four years ago with a multi-disciplinary team approach. Professor Stone was part of this team, contributing the perspective of an economic historian to examine the condition of Maori through colonisation by European settlers.

Professor Stone's The Economic Impoverishment of Hauraki Maori Through Colonisation, 1830-1930 examines the destruction of the pre-European economy by colonial economic processes, aided and abetted by government officials, creating a situation whereby Maori became paupers in their own land. The resulting economic distress and deprivation has lasted for generations.

The Hauraki treaty claims are a consequence of the Crown's actions after it signed the Treaty of Waitangi. Professor Stone's report will significantly support the Hauraki case in the debate that will inevitably surround the Hauraki claims. I take this opportunity to thank Professor Stone for his contribution to this project.

No reira, noho ora koutou.

T J Mc Enteer

Claims Manager

Hauraki Maori Trust Board

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