A National Māori University has been proposed for the furtherance of indigenous education in New Zealand. Justification for the establishment of such an institution resides with the articles of the Treaty of Waitangi, the history of Māori education in New Zealand, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, current international trends, as well as the needs of Māori. The claim for a National Māori University is supported by Article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi whereby Māori are guaranteed te tino rangatiratanga (chieftainship) over all taonga (things of value) which includes language, culture and education. This right of Māori to control their own education is also supported by most of the nations around the world as evidenced by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Article 15). In addition, many nations have moved to establish universities for their indigenous peoples in order to help preserve their culture and language as well as overcome current impoverishment resulting from past governmental policies and practices. A National Māori University would be in keeping with those international trends and provide Māori with a powerful forum for indigenous leadership.