What issues of injustice arose from the Treaty of Waitangi?
Land ownership created many problems for race relations. British officials had a very inconsistent approach, which led to uncertainty over policy. For Māori, land was integral to their culture and pre-Treaty land purchases were to be re-examined. This unsettled both Māori and Pakeha. The government decided that all land not legally purchased by Pakeha would not be returned to Māori, but go to the Crown as "surplus land". This was seen as unfair and offended Māori. Settlers argued that any land not currently occupied by Māori was "waste land" and could be occupied by settlers. Some Pakeha occupied Māori land and refused to pay rent or move away. They put pressure on the Governor for military assistance in holding these confiscated areas.
The concept of pre-emption was not fully understood by both sides and caused further issues of injustice. George Grey became Governor in 1845 and purchased vast areas of land for settlers by 1853. He purchased 30 million acres in the South Island and 3 million acres in the North, which equaled roughly 50% of the country. This was 'legally' purchased, however methods of purchase were often questionable and most land purchases were not suitably surveyed. There were minimal payments made and a general refusal of the Pakeha government to fulfill promises made in the Treaty and Lord Normanby's instructions for fairness in land acquisition.
Hone Tikao was a signatory to Kemp’s contract for the sale of the Canterbury block. He was not happy with the terms of the sale that related to the Akaroa portion and argued over the sale process. To this day, many Ngai Tahu from Horomaka (Banks Peninsula) do not believe that they sold their land, and were unhappy with the actions of Kemp and others. The land claims of Ngai Tahu were finally settled in the early 1990s and the Crown apologised to their people.
More than 2000 claims have been lodged with the Waitangi Tribunal. By 2010 legislation had been passed for settlements with a total value of about $950 million. Three early settlements – Commercial Fisheries ($170 million), Waikato-Tainui raupatu ($170 million) and Ngāi Tahu ($170 million) – and the 2008 Central North Island Forests agreement ($161 million) make up the bulk of this amount.