Abstract
Can New Zealand’s Waitangi Tribunal (the Tribunal) issue a summons to Ministers of the Crown requiring that they personally provide it with evidence; and if so, when may that power be exercised? The New Zealand Court of Appeal was required to address these issues in Skerret-White v Minister for Children. The Court’s decision provides not only a vindication of the Tribunal’s summoning power, but also a timely restatement of the institution’s constitutional importance.