This thesis explores ways in which Māori can hold the Crown accountable for Te Tiriti in the public budgeting process in Aotearoa New Zealand. Employing a kaupapa Māori case study research approach, it examines various perspectives of accountability within the public budgeting process and investigates how accountability mechanisms can be used as tools to both disempower and empower Indigenous Peoples. This thesis is driven by growing claims for the need to have greater Indigenous perspectives included in governance, and that the Crown's exclusive right to resource allocation in New Zealand fundamentally breaches Te Tiriti, as it limits Māori ability to exercise rangatiratanga. Thus, it explores potential avenues for how Māori can hold the Crown accountable for Te Tiriti in the public budgeting process. The suggested accountability mechanisms aim to not only fulfill Te Tiriti obligations, but also promote a more equitable public budgeting process for all of society. Through conducting semi-structured interviews with Indigenous and Non-Indigenous experts within relevant fields, the study uncovers the structural constraints within the kāwanatanga sphere. This highlights the imperative of pursuing constitutional transformation to enhance capacity within the rangatiratanga sphere and to promote the advancement of the relational sphere between sovereigns. These findings contribute to the limited body of public accountability literature by broadening the discourse within a settler-colonial context. This expansion goes beyond the formal public sector, to encompass both the rangatiratanga and relational spheres of influence. This development is argued to deepen democracy and create a more inclusive form of public accountability. This study holds implications, not only for New Zealand, but also for other settler-colonial states grappling with similar issues concerning reconciling with Indigenous Peoples, in alignment with Treaty rights and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.