Māori Customary Law

The Commission's Study Paper, Māori Custom and Values in New Zealand Law (SP9).

Unpublished papers by external consultants to the Commission

Several papers were written by external consultants to inform the Commission’s Māori Customary Law project.

Many of the papers were written only in draft form and were never finalised. Despite this, the authors of the papers have kindly agreed to allow us to publish them here:

• ET Durie “Custom Law” (unpublished draft paper, January 1994)
• Joan Metge “Commentary on Judge Durie’s ‘Custom Law’” (unpublished paper for the Law Commission, 1996, with errata 2020)
• Richard Mulgan “Commentary on Chief Judge Durie’s Custom Law paper from the perspective of a Pākehā political scientist” (unpublished paper for the Law Commission, 1996)

• Michael Belgrave “Māori customary law: from extinguishment to enduring recognition (unpublished paper for the Law Commission, 1996)
• Whaimutu Dewes “Māori custom law: He kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea, e kore e ngaro” (unpublished draft paper for the Law Commission, 1998)
• Joseph Williams “He aha te tikanga Māori” (unpublished draft paper for the Law Commission, 1998)
• David Williams “He aha te tikanga Māori" (unpublished revised draft as at 10 November 1998 of Joseph Williams’ paper of the same name for the Law Commission, 1998, with minor update 2020)