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Politics | Iwi leaders

Iwi Leaders tread water at Waitangi

The questions raised by those outside the forum was whether this was an Iwi Chairs or Maori Council meeting.

Ngai Tahu Chair, Mark Solomon says the Iwi representatives were all agreed on pushing further with the issue of water rights and housing.

Iwi Chairs say these meetings are an opportunity to fron the Prime Minister with issues and gage where they should go from there.

Solomon also says “what your going to find is that the Government is going to look back at the governance of water – how councils interact with iwi and I still think the issue of allocation is a way down the track”.

While some of the Iwi Chairs don’t agree with negotiating the rights to water in the courts, the New Zealand Māori Council thinks otherwise.

Council Chair Maanu Paul says “ The Māori council is fighting for these rights to water if they don’t want to be part of that, so be it”.

Earlier at Te Tii Marae the Maori Council fronted the Prime Minister with it’s issues.

However the message may have been overshadowed by the drama that ensued.