The Native Land Court Volume 1 1862-1887: A Historical Study, Cases and Commentary is the first ever authoritative published selection of the Native Land Court's principal decisions.

The book, (the first of a planned three volume series), contains a full introduction explaining the history of the Court and contains over 100 principal cases each of which include full text and introductory commentary explaining the case and its significance.

It includes cases from all over the country, ranging from the Houhora peninsula in the far North to Ruapuke Island in Fouveaux Strait, and includes such key decisions as the Oakura decision of the Compensation Court, the notorious Heretaunga block in Hawke’s Bay, the Chatham Islands cases, and cases relating to the “gift of the peaks” of what is now Tongariro National Park.

It will be of interest to iwi, legal practitioners, and historians and an indispensable reference tool for future work relating to the Native Land Court.

AWARDS: The Native Land Court  Volume 1 1862-1887: A Historical Study, Cases and Commentary  shares winning the 2013 JF Northey Memorial Book Award with Account of Profits, another Thomson Reuters New Zealand publication.

Second volume now available

The second volume of the series is now available to purchase. This volume picks up where the first left off,  focusing on the development of Maori land law and cases between 1888 and 1909.

The Native Land Court Volume 2 1888 - 1909

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The book has been written and edited by Professor Richard Boast of the Faculty of Law at Victoria University. The author teaches legal history, Maori land law and property law at Victoria University and has over 25 years’ of experience as a practitioner and an expert witness in the Waitangi Tribunal and the Maori Land Court. He has published numerous books and articles on New Zealand legal history and the Native Land Court, including Buying the Land, Selling the Land, a study of Maori land alienation from 1865–1921 which was awarded the Montana Book Award category prize for history in 2009.

Click to read an interview with Professor Richard Boast sharing what began, and sustains, his lifelong interest in Maori law.

The Native Land Court Volume 1 1862-1887: A Historical Study, Cases and Commentary is the first ever authoritative published selection of the Native Land Court's principal decisions.

The book, (the first of a planned three volume series), contains a full introduction explaining the history of the Court and contains over 100 principal cases each of which include full text and introductory commentary explaining the case and its significance.

It includes cases from all over the country, ranging from the Houhora peninsula in the far North to Ruapuke Island in Fouveaux Strait, and includes such key decisions as the Oakura decision of the Compensation Court, the notorious Heretaunga block in Hawke’s Bay, the Chatham Islands cases, and cases relating to the “gift of the peaks” of what is now Tongariro National Park.

It will be of interest to iwi, legal practitioners, and historians and an indispensable reference tool for future work relating to the Native Land Court.

AWARDS: The Native Land Court  Volume 1 1862-1887: A Historical Study, Cases and Commentary  shares winning the more