Reference to Extrinsic Material to Resolve Ambiguity in Definition of Beneficiaries of Whenua Topu Trust : Pirika v Eru - Te Ngae Farm Trust

Pirika v Eru, heard in the Māori Appellate Court, was an appeal from Easthope v Pirika, and concerned a disagreement among the trustees of the Te Ngae Farm Trust as to who should benefit from the trust. The case turned on the interpretation of the trust deed. The Court held that extrinsic sources could be used as an aid for interpretation. In this particular case, the Waitangi Tribunal report and the following settlement with the Crown were used to decide a narrower interpretation was needed