In April, we shared a guide to the Waitangi Tribunal and its processes, explaining what the Tribunal does, the different types of claims it hears, what happens at its hearings and how it reports on claims.

This post shares a recent example of the work our Māori Legal Team has been undertaking in the Tribunal’s Military Veterans Kaupapa Inquiry, also known as “Wai 2500”.

 

Background to the Wai 2500 Inquiry

The Wai 2500 Military Veterans Kaupapa Inquiry has been running since 2015, making it the longest running kaupapa inquiry on the Tribunal’s books. The inquiry is presided over by Judge Wilson Isaac, with Dr Monty Soutar ONZM, Dr Grant Phillipson, Dr Hana O’Regan ONZM, and Professor Tā Pou Temara also sitting on the panel.

In 2016, the Tribunal held oral evidence hearings, known as “ngā kōrero tuku iho”, across the motu to hear from surviving Māori ex-servicepeople and their whānau. This oral evidence was prioritised so it could be captured while veterans from mid-twentieth century conflicts were still alive.

Some years later, in 2022, the Tribunal released the Tribunal Statement of Issues for the inquiry, outlining the main issues to be addressed. The Tribunal resolved to hear these issues in two stages.

  • Stage One has focused on claims concerning military service after World War Two, including operations in Korea and South-East Asia (c. 1950–1990s), Antarctic operations, nuclear testing and peacekeeping (c. 1950s–2010s), and current Crown policy and practice in relation to concerns raised by Māori ex-servicepeople and their whānau. This stage has seen eight weeks of evidence from claimants, the Crown, and expert researchers commissioned by the Tribunal.
  • Stage Two, which has not yet started, will focus on claims concerning the Second Anglo-Boer War and World War One (c. 1890s–1920s), as well as World War Two and the occupation of Japan (c. 1930s–1940s).

 

Recent developments

In June 2026, claimant counsel presented their closing submissions for Stage One of the Inquiry at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Raroera Campus in Kirikiriroa/Hamilton. Our Māori Legal Team represents several claims in the inquiry and has spent much of this year working on Stage One closing submissions. Team members Dr Bryan Gilling and Richard Gayfer attended the hearing and presented closing submissions on behalf of three of our clients, some of whom were able to be present in the wharenui.

This was a significant milestone. It represents the culmination of several months’ work by the Māori Legal Team on the submissions, and several years’ work by the claimants on their claims and associated evidence. While the inquiry itself has been running for around a decade, many of the claims were first lodged well before that.

Bryan and Richard collectively presented over 200 pages of submissions at the hearing, followed by extensive questioning by the Tribunal panel. This is, of course, just a fraction of the submissions that have been filed on behalf of the dozens of claimants in the inquiry.

 

What next?

Stage One is not quite over yet. The Crown – an important part of any Tribunal inquiry – is still yet to file and present its closing submissions for Stage One. That will happen at the tenth and final hearing for this stage, at Te Taua Moana / Royal New Zealand Navy Marae in Devonport in early December.

Following that, the Tribunal will weigh up all the evidence and submissions it has heard, and prepare a report on Stage One issues. In its report, the Tribunal will outline any breaches of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi that it has found, and make recommendations to the Crown on how these breaches should be remedied.

And, in due course, the Tribunal will launch Stage Two of its inquiry, focusing on Māori service personnel and their whānau in World War Two and earlier conflicts.

We acknowledge the significance of this kaupapa for the claimants, their whānau, and Māori veterans more broadly, and are proud to support our clients through this important process.

 

Our Māori Legal Team provides expert advice relating to the processes of Te Tiriti o Waitangi Claims, Māori Land Law and related issues.