Justice and the Māori: The Philosophy and Practice of Māori Claims in New Zealand since the 1970s

Should Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, be compensated for past wrongs at the hands of the colonizing Pakeha? Should special programs be set up which treat Maori and Pakeha differently--either because Maori have been wronged or because they are worse off than the Pakeha? Or should there be one law, one way of treating both peoples and one "justice" for all? Justice and the Maori records New Zealanders debating these questions since the 1970s. It is at once a history book, and a book on the philosophy of identity, sovereignty and justice. It speaks to universal questions of justice in the distribution of authority and property, as to what it is to be a member of an ethnic group, and as to whether being a member of an ethnic group can act as the basis of special claims against those not of that group. It speaks to anyone interested in these matters, not just to New Zealanders. In this new edition, the author traces the history of Maori and government relations since 1990.