Northland's Ngati Hine people have spoken publicly for the first time of government clearances that forced them off their land in the 1960s.
The Waitangi Tribunal has heard evidence that the government bulldozed or burned about 18 homes in the Pipiwai area, west of Whangarei, when it amalgamated Maori titles to create bigger farming blocks.
One claimant, Rua Armstrong, said agents of the Maori Affairs department tore down her mother's shop in 1969 when the family was out.
She said the family was devastated and has carried painful memories of that time and their loss ever since.
Ms Armstrong said her mother, Ata-Iti Te Rehu Hoterene, was among the staunchest opponents of the amalgamation scheme and fought in vain all her life to have her land returned.