The Waitangi Tribunal has marked 50 years since its establishment by the Treaty of Waitangi Act on 10 October 1975, with anniversary events in Wellington last week that shifted attention toward the Tribunal’s future.

A Parliamentary reception opened the week, followed by a two-day conference, Ko te Tōrino: Haere Whakamua, Haere Whakamuri, hosted by Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington in association with the Tribunal. Attendees included current and former Tribunal members, the judiciary, Crown and claimant counsel, iwi leaders, activists and members of parliament.

Former Chairperson Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie delivered the opening address, saying the Tribunal’s work had driven a “seismic shift” in national thinking. “What we are thinking of now is that unity and peace comes from respecting difference, not from assuming that we all must be the same or that one group is dominant over another,” he said.

Speakers across the programme included former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer, former Treaty Negotiations Minister Christopher Finlayson, former Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias, Justice Sir Joe Williams, Justice Dianne McDonald of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, and Tribunal member Emeritus Professor David Williams. Six sessions ran across the wharenui Te Tumu Herenga Waka and Aho Ruruku, the amphitheatre in Ngā Mokopuna (the Living Pā), with livestreaming between venues.

Day two focused on the Tribunal’s role in the years ahead, with perspectives from rangatahi, claimant counsel and former Crown lawyers. Eru Kapa Kingi and Annette Sykes led a session on the Tribunal’s future remit and responsibilities.

During the conference, Professor Carwyn Jones and Dr Maria Bargh launched 50 Years of The Waitangi Tribunal – Whakamana i Te Tiriti (Huia Publishers). The week also included a conference dinner at the Michael Fowler Centre, where Professor Linda Smith was the guest speaker.

The commemoration concluded on Sunday with a karakia whakakapi led by Dr Ruakere Hond to close He Kura Toi Tangata: 50 years of the Waitangi Tribunal, a photographic and taonga exhibition at Wellington Museum. A recurring theme across the events was remembrance of Tribunal members and contributors who have passed, and acknowledgment of their influence on the institution’s development.

Established in 1975 as a standing commission of inquiry, the Tribunal investigates alleged breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by the Crown and makes recommendations. Its jurisdiction was extended in 1985 to consider historical claims back to 1840, and its reports have shaped settlement negotiations and policy over the past four decades.