New Treaty, New Tradition: Reconciling New Zealand and Maori Law

Legal traditions respond to social and economic environments. Maori author and legal scholar Carwyn Jones provides a timely examination of how the resolution of land claims in New Zealand has affected Maori law and the challenges faced by Indigenous peoples as they attempt to exercise self-determination in a postcolonial world. Combining thoughtful analysis with Maori storytelling, Jones’s nuanced reflections on the claims process show how Western legal thought has shaped treaty negotiations. Drawing on Canadian and international examples, Jones makes the case that genuine reconciliation can occur only when we recognize the importance of Indigenous traditions in the settlement process.