Ngāti Hine are reaffirming their stance on having their own mandate to negotiate redress, separate from the wider Ngāpuhi Nui Tonu.
It comes following discussions held by 170 Ngāpuhi descendants over the weekend on how iwi within Ngāpuhi can move forward after the Tūhoronuku mandate was voted down last year.
Ngāti Hine spokesperson Pita Tipene says the iwi is seeking its own mandate to negotiate redress specific to their nine Hapū.
“Ngāti Hine does not agree if the claims or grievances are settled. We do not allow the Crown or anyone else to have our mandate. As the Pae Tawhiti o Ngāti Hine has made clear, only Ngāti Hine will speak for Ngāti Hine,” says Tipene.
Meanwhile, the hapū will still maintain ongoing connections with neighbouring hapū and wider Ngāpuhi for their shared interests and other negotiations.
Ngāpuhi rejected a revised mandate for settlement after last year's vote of more than 70 of the tribes 150 hapū rejected Tūhoronuku.
"Ngāti Hine has been in discussions over this matter for a long time. That's why we attend the major Ngāpuhi meetings, to ensure that they and the Crown don't get the wrong idea over Ngāti Hine's stance," says Tipene.
Ngāti Hine plans to kick-off a preliminary roadshow in August to reach out to those living away from the rohe as they seek out their our own mandate.
"We will be raising funds so we can take our roadshow across the country and overseas. We will be doing this in August,” says Tipene.