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The Treaty of Waitangi Act established a tribunal, the Waitangi Tribunal, as a formal, ongoing commission of inquiry to hear grievances against the Crown. But it limited such grievances to those occurring after the passing of the Act in 1975 and allowed the Tribunal the power to make findings of fact and recommendations only, not binding determinations. The Waitangi Tribunal first began hearings two years later, but, particularly because of that limitation, few claims were investigated.

Protesters occupied Bastion Point in Auckland in January 1977 after the government announced a high-value housing development on former Ngāti Whātua reserve land overlooking the Waitemata Harbour. Over time, the once-large reserve, designated 'inalienable', had been reduced in size by compulsory acquisition, leaving the Ngāti Whātua ki Orākei tribal group holding less than one hectare. After 506 days, the occupiers were evicted by police (in May 1978), by which time Bastion Point had become a household term for land rights protest. The film Bastion Point – Day 507 was released three years later. Since then, at the recommendation of the Waitangi Tribunal, much of the land has been returned to or vested with Ngāti Whātua.

The Human Rights Commission Act complemented the earlier race relations legislation. It prohibited discrimination on the grounds of sex, marital status and religious or ethical belief while creating a Human Rights Commission to promote human rights and an Equal Opportunities Tribunal to deal with complaints.

On 28 November an Air New Zealand DC-10 airliner, on a sightseeing flight to Antarctica, crashed into Mount Erebus. All 257 passengers and crew were killed in New Zealand’s worst air disaster.

Land taken during the Second World War for a military airfield at Raglan was returned to Tainui Awhiro people, but only after a long dispute and protest. Instead of being handed back to its former owners when not required for its designated public purpose, part of the land had been turned into a golf course in 1969. This led Eva Rickard to initiate protest action in the 1970s.

The country was divided over the tour by the South African rugby team, the Springboks. Large protests against South Africa's apartheid policy, and deliberately massive police deployment, resulted in violent battles between the police and the protestors and one match being cancelled.

The adoption of a policy of more open government resulted in the Official Information Act 1982, which gives the public wide access to government information, except in specified circumstances. It reversed the policy emphasis of the Official Secrets Act by stating that information should be available unless particularly sensitive. The Act is policed by the Office of the Ombudsmen. Reviewing complaints about Official Information Act requests that have been refused has become the bulk of the Office's work.

A record one-day total of 84.8 millimetres of rain caused extensive surface flooding in the streets of Invercargill, Riverton, Otautau, Tuatapere and Bluff. A state of emergency was declared in the early hours of 27 January.

The Treaty of Waitangi Act was amended, with the Waitangi Tribunal having its powers extended to allow investigation of Crown actions and omissions that could be in breach of Treaty principles dating back to 1840. There were unexpected implications of going back to 1840: opening up the whole history of the terms and modes of colonisation. Researching claims has proved an enormous and specialised task, given the paucity of pre-existing historical work and the level of detail required. The presentation of the claims to the Tribunal and subsequent settlement negotiations with the Crown has also necessitated the involvement of many lawyers and other experts on behalf of both the Crown and the claimants.

An enlarged Waitangi Tribunal issued reports on Treaty claims, often on a regional basis. More than 30 reports have now been issued, among them the Orākei Report, the Te Reo Māori Report, the Taranaki Report: Kaupapa Tuatahi, the Ngāi Tahu Report, the Muriwhenua Lands Report, the Whanganui River Report and Te Whanganui a Tara me ona Takiwa: the Report on the Wellington District.