Legislation to restore the character, mana and reputation of a tribal chief wrongfully convicted and executed in 1866 has moved a step closer.
The Maori Affairs Select Committee has reviewed the Mokomoko (Restoration of Character, Mana and Reputation) Bill - and recommends that it is passed into law with just technical changes.
Mokomoko - a Te Whakatohea rangatira - was tried and executed for the killing of Reverend Carl Silvius Volkner.
Mokomoko received a pardon in 1992, but this did not restore his character, mana and reputation - nor that of his descendants.
The bill will now go through to its second reading.
