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. Mr Alexander was part of this team, examining particularly the history of land titles and the alienation of Maori land.
Mr Alexander's The Hauraki Tribal Lands, Parts 1-4, provides a detailed analysis of the dealings relating to the original Maori land blocks. This involved over 700 parcels of land and most of the tribal territory. The focus has been on those initial transactions involving the Crown and private individuals. When so many individual block histories are collected together, one can see the pattern of Crown activity that emerges over the past one hundred and fifty years resulting in one of the worst cases of Maori landlessness in New Zealand. At present approximately 2.6% of the Hauraki tribal territory is Maori land.
The Hauraki Treaty Claims are a consequence of the Crown's actions after it signed the Treaty of Waitangi. Mr Alexander's report will significantly support the Hauraki case in the debate that will inevitably surround the Hauraki claims. I take this opportunity to thank Mr Alexander for his contribution to this project.
