Stolen Sovereignty: The Untold Story of Parliament and Māori

The Skeleton in New Zealand’s Political Closet

Most New Zealanders know that in the 19th century, millions of acres of Māori land were confiscated, stolen or bought at dirt cheap prices. These wrongs have been partially redressed through apologies and treaty settlements which, as of early 2026, totaled approximately $2.738 billion across around 100 settlements with 70 hapū and iwi groups. While that sounds substantial, it's only 1% of New Zealand's current annual GDP—paid once.

What is less well known is that the rights of Māori as a sovereign people were also taken without consent— stolen not by the British in the Treaty of Waitangi, as many believe, but 25 years later by the New Zealand parliament—the most powerful institution in the land. And never returned.

This book is the first time the story of how and when the New Zealand parliament assumed unauthorised control over Māori has been told, and how politicians have spun the Treaty, sovereignty and peoplehood to avoid the story from being exposed for over 160 years.