Te Puni Kōkiri and Huia Publishers have partnered to publish this book that documents the history of the nineteen Māori trust boards established from 1922. Between 1922 and 1953, ten Māori trust boards were created by legislation. They were intended to function as governance bodies that could receive and administer the compensation awarded by the Crown in recognition of long-held Māori grievances. In 1955, the Māori Trust Boards Act was passed to ensure a consistent approach was taken to all ten boards, and following this, a further nine trust boards were established.

This book explores the historical and political context of the establishment of the trust boards and the roles and responsibilities each trust board fulfilled. It also examines Māori leadership driving the boards, the changing political and social landscape within which the boards operated and their paths to becoming autonomous entities. It documents the trust boards' challenges and achievements, and it looks to the future of the existing trust boards.