Treaty Minister Andrew Little still has hope Ngāpuhi can achieve a single settlement

Treaty Minister Andrew Little said hapū by hapū negotiation was not practical. Photo/File

Treaty Minister Andrew Little says it's time to park up the evolved mandate and see what hapū want - but he still has hope Ngāpuhi can achieve a single settlement.

His comments come after the evolved mandate - a plan to negotiate and settle Ngāpuhi's Treaty of Waitangi claims, which was developed through three rounds of consultation hui - did not receive enough support following a vote last year.

Now Little says it's time for Ngāpuhi to consider how they would like to move forward.

"The way I would characterise it - of the evolved mandate - let's just park that up, let's just put that aside for a moment and let's just focus on what it is that people or hapū and groups of hapū - what they say they are needing," he said.

Since the results of the evolved mandate vote were released in December, Ngāpuhi hapū have been holding hui focused on a way forward.

Kia Anga Mua Ngā Hapū o Ngāpuhi - formed by the 31 hapū who voted for the evolved mandate - held a hui at the Kerikeri NorthTec campus last weekend.

"It was made clear at the hui, the purpose of this rōpū (group) was to facilitate discussions to enable hapū that supported the evolved mandate to move forward but also recognising that other hapū or groupings will be considering their own options and pathways.

"There was full agreement that support will be given to each other in our respective pathways," Te Huranga Hohaia, kaikōrero for Ngati Rehia said.

Meanwhile on Saturday a hui - called by leaders of hapū Te Uri o Hua; Takotokē; Ngāti Whakaeke; Ngāti Kura and Ngāti Tautahi, who all rejected the evolved mandate - was held at Kohewhata Marae on Saturday to discuss and agree on a way forward.

Little said he believed it was not impossible to bring the hapū who voted yes together with those who voted no.

But he said from the Crown's point of view a hapū by hapū negotiation was not practical.

"We can't negotiate with one or a few and not with the rest expecting we can meet a final conclusion, because we won't and there's too much at stake."

When asked what happens if hapū can't agree on a way forward, he said he would have to work out what happens at that point.

"I don't think we are at that point at this stage and I'd like to continue to make the effort to see if we can find a way through that meets everybody's aspirations," he said.