Here’s a few things to know about what comes next.

• At the conclusion of the hearing, the Judge will take some time to consider all the arguments and evidence before she makes her decision. Once she makes a decision, she will write the judgement. This will take some time. We expect a decision in early 2024.

• We hope for a strong decision, one that encourages the Crown to meet with us to finally settle this matter in a principled and pragmatic way.

• The decision could be appealed – by either party. There needs to be good legal or factual grounds for an appeal to proceed.

• Should remedies be awarded, a new entity to receive the trust property will be established. The beneficiaries of the trust (Ngā Uri) will decide on the appropriate model for this entity.

• While we await the Judge’s decision, we continue our focus and work on making the tenths whānau whole, with the aim of reconnecting whānau with their whenua and whakapapa.

We’ll provide more information on each of these over the coming weeks and months.