Iwi hopes Peters a 'circuit-breaker'

Winston Peters has been asked to help unite warring factions of Ngapuhi, and in doing so become the region's "Lawrence of Arabia". Photo / Jason Oxenham

Newly-elected Northland MP Winston Peters has been called on to resolve a dispute that has held up a Treaty settlement for the country's largest iwi.

The argument is not intractable and past Treaty of Waitangi settlements have shown that disputes can be sorted, Mr Peters said.

The NZ First leader has been asked to help unite warring factions of Ngapuhi, and in doing so become the region's "Lawrence of Arabia".

"There is no doubt the process hit the wall some time ago. That progress is not being made. There are a number of reasons for that, and none of them are insurmountable if the right approach is taken," Mr Peters told the Herald.

"This is not a matter where one wants to repeat past efforts to blunder in, it is a highly-sensitive issue and I obviously need to hear from others as well."

Ngapuhi has been in bitter dispute over who has a mandate to negotiate with the Crown.

The Government has accepted that Tuhoronuku, originally a board of the Ngapuhi runanga and led by Sonny Tau, has a mandate and has given it financial support to negotiate.

However, 12 hapu, including the major sub-tribe Ngati Hine, have requested a Waitangi Tribunal urgency hearing into the Ngapuhi mandate, arguing the agreement with Tuhoronuku should be set aside.

Rudy Taylor, co-chairman of Te Kotahitangi o Nga Hapu Ngapuhi and opponent of the Tuhoronuku mandate, has asked Mr Peters to consider a role to help Ngapuhi get a settlement that is "fair, correct and enduring".

He said that he spoke to Mr Peters last week.

"He said, 'Rudy, after the special votes [are counted], I can say that we should have a meeting, and sit down and have a look at the big picture'."

Mr Taylor said it was possible that Mr Peters was "our Lawrence of Arabia" - a reference to the famous 1962 film in which the hero helps unite Arab tribes and goes to war against an occupying Turkish army.

"He had to walk amongst these people and hear what they had to say about where things are at."

Mr Peters said he was not blaming any parties for the dispute, but it was now time to resolve it. There was precedent in the form of the 2008 Central North Island Forests agreement, he said.

"That had hit the wall, we got over that and got it settled - given the delays - in extraordinarily quick time."

Pita Tipene, a Ngati Hine leader, said he strongly supported Mr Taylor's call for Mr Peters to become involved. He believed it could be a "circuit-breaker".

"Ngapuhi is at loggerheads ... there really needs to be somebody with the mana to bring the parties together and come up with a united solution. Otherwise the fractures will continue to widen and this will just go into future generations.

Last week Tuhoronuku announced the appointment of three negotiators for the Ngapuhi Treaty settlement.

A report from the Waitangi Tribunal urgency hearing on the Ngapuhi mandate is expected later this year.

Mr Tau could not be reached for comment.