8 December 2005

Waitangi Tribunal Northland Judicial Conference

The Waitangi Tribunal will commence preparations for starting inquiries in Northland with a judicial conference at the Copthorne Resort, Waitangi on Friday 16 December 2005.

The Tribunal will advise claimants of its New Approach process options for all new inquiries into historical claims. It will propose two main options for the consideration of Northland claimants and the Crown.

The first option is the ‘standard form’ where inquiries into claims are on a district-wide basis. The Tribunal tested this option in Gisborne during 2000-2004. The second option is the faster ‘modular form’, which can be conducted on a larger regional scale. This requires prior agreement between claimants and the Crown on a common research programme and a streamlined set of hearings, such as in the current Central North Island inquiry. The Tribunal will also invite Northland claimants and the Crown to suggest other options at the conference.

ENDS

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