Report of the Waitangi Tribunal on the Manukau Claim

WAI 8, the Manukau claim, was brought by Nganeko Minhinnick for and on behalf of all the hapū of Waikato-Tainui and concerned the Manukau Harbour and its environments.

The claim alleged that, by failing to protect the Waikato-Tainui hapū in the use, ownership, and enjoyment of their lands and fisheries, the Crown had not met its Treaty responsibilities. And, further, that Crown policies in regard to discharges and water rights had caused 'a serious and continuing deterioration in the quality and quantity of seafoods available to the Waikato-Tainui hapū.'

The claim sought recommendations:

• that the bed of the Manukau Harbour and the control of its waters be revested in the hapū
• that a moratorium be imposed with respect to the granting of water rights affecting the harbour until such time as the ancestral and Treaty rights of the hapū had been investigated and protected
• and that the Water and Soil Conservation Act 1967 be repealed and replaced by legislation that acknowledged, protected, and enhanced the rights of Māori people with respect to water and soil conservation matters.

The Finding of the Waitangi Tribunal on the Manukau Claim (WAI 8) was released on 30 July 1985. The full report can be read on the Waitangi Tribunal website or can be accessed in hard copy from your local Manukau library.

In 1986 Manukau City Council published a response to "The finding of the Waitangi Tribunal on the Manukau Claim." The response can be accessed in hard copy from your local Manukau library.