The story of Ngai Tahu is a fascinating example of a small impoverishedcommunity of tribal members who by the 1970s had been reduced to amembership of less than 400. Within two decades this tribe had emerged as oneof the largest corporations in the South Island with a tribal membership of over40,000. It is the largest land-owner in the South Island with signifi cant interests infi sheries and tourism. Explaining how and why this happened will be one of thecore themes of this course. The fi rst part of this course will look at some of theearly history of Ngai Tahu through to their movement from its pre-contact era toinitial contact with early explorers, the settler government and the subsequentland transactions that ran from 1844 to 1864. The second part of this course willtrace Ngai Tahu’s claim over nearly 150 years and the concurrent developmentand implementation of corporate structures. It will then turn to an overview ofhow Ngai Tahu and the Crown negotiated one of the largest Treaty settlementpackages in the nation's history, but also what opportunities and challenges thatbrings today.