The Hauraki Treaty Claim 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 a series of eleven volumes. These are presented to the Waitangi Tribunal to support the Hauraki case.
The history of colonisation in Hauraki—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. Louise Furey was part of this team contributing an archaeological perspective, to set the scene and examine Maori society in Hauraki before the influx of European settlers.
Louise Furey's Archaeology in the Hauraki Region provides a comprehensive summary of the economy that existed then and the places where that activity occurred. The maps depicting the distribution of archaeological sites clearly demonstrate a significant focus on the coastal marine area. The use of other natural resources, in particular, minerals is also well documented.
The Hauraki treaty claims are a consequence of the Crown's actions after it signed the Treaty of Waitangi. Louise Furey's report will significantly support the Hauraki case in the debate that will inevitably surround the Hauraki claims. I take this opportunity to thank Louise Furey for her contribution to this project.
