The chairman of Tuhoronuku says he can't see Ngapuhi Treaty claims being settled before 2020, despite the Minister of Treaty Negotiations saying he believed it could be settled next year.
The comments come after both Tuhoronuku, the group with the Crown-recognised mandate to negotiate Ngapuhi's Treaty claims, and Te Kotahitanga, which opposes the Crown recognition of that mandate, had separate meetings with Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson in Auckland on Friday.
Mr Finlayson did not respond to Northern Advocate questions about when he thought the settlement would be completed but told Radio New Zealand he believed it could be settled by next year if everyone got on with it. But Tuhoronuku chairman Hone Sadler was not so sure.
"I was hopeful it would be settled next year but given where we are at the moment, I can't see settlement being completed before 2020," he said.
The rocky road to settlement for Ngapuhi eventually led to the establishment of an engagement group comprising the Crown, Te Kotahitanga and Tuhoronuku, which released a Maranga Mai report recommending a way forward for Ngapuhi.