Latest book on Native Land Court launched
Professor Richard Boast QC’s new book on the Native Land Court was officially launched at a function held at the Faculty of Law on 15 October.
Professor Richard Boast QC’s new book on the Native Land Court was officially launched at a function held at the Faculty of Law on 15 October.
The book is the second volume in a series of books on the Court. Volume 1, covering the Court and its case law from 1865-1887, was published in 2013, and is now a standard reference work. Volume 2 covers the period from 1888-1909.
Like its predecessor it contains a full textual introduction on the history of the Court and a number of fully edited decisions, each preceded by an introductory essay setting out the historical and legal background of each case. These works are an outgrowth of the Lost Cases project completed some years ago, and the research for the Native Land Court books has been supported by grants from the New Zealand Law Foundation. The books are published by Thomson Reuters.
The launch was attended by members of the legal profession, professional historians, and academics from Victoria and other universities. Those who spoke at the launch included the Attorney-General, the Hon. Christopher Finlayson, Professor Mark Hickford, Dean of the Faculty of Law, a representative of the publishers, representatives of a number of iwi, and Professor Boast himself.
In his address Professor Boast thanked those who had worked on and assisted with the production of the book, and paid tribute to the work of historians who have prepared evidence for Waitangi Tribunal inquiries, without whose work and research the book could not even have been contemplated.
Volume 3, which will cover the period from 1910-1953, is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016.