In the past the involvement of historians working for claimant groups tended to cease when the Waitangi Tribunal inquiry ended. Although Crown historians have always been fully involved in the negotiation process, claimants and their lawyers generally entered into negotiations with the Crown armed with either a Tribunal report, or evidence prepared for them as part of the hearing process.
That trend is now being reversed, and claimants are increasingly seeking the assistance of historians in the negotiation process, especially in developing agreed statements of historical facts, composing recitals (the Crown apology), and in the identification and mapping of particular wahi tapu (sacred places) and other sites of significance which require protection or recognition.
HistoryWorks directors Dr Vincent O’Malley, David Armstrong and Moka Apiti have all recently been involved in assisting claimants in various aspects of the negotiation process, and have developed particular expertise in the mapping and identification of wahi tapu sites of significance. [Added 12 October 2005]