The gang claim was one of thousands received in the rush leading up to the September 1 deadline imposed by the government for historic claims.
Wellington gang spokesman Eugene Ryder, understood to be a major driver behind the claim, would not provide specifics about it but said the gang was not seeking money. Gangs existed because of colonisation and what they were wanted was education, he said.
"The object of the claim is education as to why we're in the position we're in," he told the New Zealand Herald.
"It's the story of our lives really and the way we're treated. From our perspective there have been multiple Treaty breaches, every article has been broken.
"The way we've dealt with the different breaches is to get together with other like-minded people."
It could be some months before the tribunal decides whether it has the jurisdiction to hear the claim and therefore register it formally.
Until it is registered it will not become a public document and the tribunal will not release it. Neither will the gang.
Lawyer Moana Jackson said the claim was likely to be large and substantive. As any Maori individual or group could lay a claim, the fact Black Power did not sign the Treaty was irrelevant to the current process.
But some MPs want the tribunal to boot the claim out of the process.
New Zealand First law and order spokesman Ron Mark dismissed the claim as "laughable", saying it sounded like a poor attempt to excuse criminal behaviour.
Gang members needed to take some responsibility, as belonging to a gang was a choice, Mr Mark said.
"Their claim that they only exist because of disempowerment is rubbish."
