Waitangi Tribunal

The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti) is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on claims brought by Māori relating to actions or omissions of the Crown, in the period largely since 1840, that breach the promises made in the Treaty of Waitangi. The Tribunal is not a court of Law; therefore, the Tribunal's recommendations and findings are not binding on the Crown. They are sometimes ignored, for instance in the Foreshore and Seabed dispute. The tribunal has made binding rulings on events prior to 1840, such as the invasion of the Chatham Islands by Ngati Mutanga and Ngati Tama in 1835, and the subsequent subjugation of the Moriori people. Abuse included murder, rape, physical and psychological torture and long-term enslavement.