The Struggle for Māori Fishing Rights: Te Ika a Māori

Māori fishing rights were guaranteed by the Treaty of Waitangi, taken away by Crown actions and, along with Māori land rights and other grievances, contested throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Finally, after years of struggle in the courts, through the Waitangi Tribunal and in protests, Māori fishing rights were restored. This book claims that four pou or elements significantly assisted in the recognition and eventual recovery of Māori fishing rights: the Treaty of Waitangi; the courts; the Waitangi Tribunal and the resilience and tenacity of Māori people, who never gave up fighting for what was right.

The author argues that the strong tradition of fairness and justice in New Zealand society provided a platform for Māori and Pākehā to support the four pou and address not only a denial of Māori fishing rights but also a large number of other injustices. The restoration of Māori fishing rights, therefore, is not an isolated event but is part of the larger picture of New Zealand society accepting that Māori had been unjustly treated since the 1840s and choosing to redress those injustices.