Despite further petitions from Ngāti Maru, in 1946, the Crown finally declined to provide them any further land. Much of the tribe's remaining land later came under public trustee administration and were subject to perpetual leases that invariably benefited Pākehā farmers rather than the Ngāti Maru owners. The extensive loss of Ngāti Maru lands has eroded tribal structures; created severe poverty; and damaged the physical, cultural, and spiritual health of generations of Ngāti Maru people. The intense sense of loss and disconnection is expressed in the following Ngāti Maru lament: Maru hāhā, hāhā te whenua, hāhā te tangata. Maru of extreme loss and breathlessness, the land is deserted. The people are gone and gasping for breath. 