The Queen rarely apologised during her 70-year reign because she rarely put a foot wrong. But in one particular case she was obliged to apologise in New Zealand, and it continues to have positive and healing consequences worldwide to this day.
The occasion was the Queen’s visit in 1995. The government was committed to accelerating the resolution of Waitangi Tribunal hearings and was on the cusp of sealing a deal for one of the largest outstanding claims. The sticking point with-Waikato-Tainui was a proposed apology by the Crown.
Under the draft Deed of Settlement, the Crown agreed to provide cash and land worth $170 million to Tainui. But the additional element that made this settlement unique was that it
