title: 'At the arbitrary disposal of the Government': 'Loyal' Māori, confiscation and the operation of the Compensation Court in South Auckland and Waikato 1865-67.
abstract: &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Over a million acres of land was confiscated under the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863 following the Waikato war of 1863-64. It was acquired from 'rebel' and 'loyal' Māori alike, but a specialist court was established in 1865 which could award compensation to applicants it deemed 'loyal' and who could satisfy the Court that they had an ownership interest in the confiscated land. This study examines the ways in which the various parts of the state machinery situated the confisc