It's back to the drawing board for the country's biggest iwi with the Government announcing what it calls a "new opportunity" for Ngāpuhi to negotiate its Treaty claims.
For the past decade Maori in the region have been tied up in court and before the Waitangi Tribunal arguing with the Crown over who should represent them in settlement negotiations.
The Crown has finally accepted that the group Tuhoronuku no longer has the mandate to speak for Ngāpuhi and the Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little says hapu now have a chance to build a new framework.
Mr Little says he's also seeking proposals from takiwa or area groups within the tribe about how more localised claims can be dealt with.
RNZ's Māori News Director Māni Dunlop speaks to Corin Dann.
