At the First reading of the Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa Claims Settlement Bill in April 2016, objections were heard which were referred to the Māori Affairs Committee. Numerous objections were formally lodged and discussed in Wellington in April 2017. These objections were ignored by Chris Finlayson on the second and third readings. The NZ First party abstained from voting in protest, however the National Party forced the bill through, and the Ngatikahu ki Whangaroa Claims Settlement Bill was passed into law in August 2017.