New Zealand Natives Win Land Decision

A government-appointed tribunal declared Friday in favor of a Maori claim to a sacred volcano stolen from their ancestors by British colonists last century.

The Waitangi Tribunal said the case represents the biggest illegal land seizure in New Zealand history. Most of the land taken is now privately owned.

Snowcapped Mt. Taranaki, named Mt. Egmont by the British, is part of claim for compensation for more than 2 million acres taken from the Maori during years of warfare against the British.