KEY POINTS:
Prime Minister John Key will attend a special hui tomorrow to discuss concerns of Maori tribal leaders from across the country, including issues around the ownership and management of water.
The hui, at Pukawa Marae on the southern side of Lake Taupo, will be hosted by Ngati Tuwharetoa paramount chief Tumu Te Heuheu and about 50 tribal leaders are expected.
Mr Key will be accompanied by Maori Affairs Minister and Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples and most other members of the Maori Party.
It will be their first public outing since the Maori Party signed a confidence and supply agreement with the National-led minority Government.
It follows on from a meeting Mr Key held in his office the week after the election with tribal leaders of Nga Puhi, Tainui, Tuwharetoa, Ngati Porou, Whanganui and Ngai Tahu.
He said tomorrow's would be the "most significant visit" he would have made to any marae.
"It is a sign that iwi want to have a constructive relationship with us and to make the relationship successful.
"This is a genuine attempt to build a solid and productive relationship between the two parties, Maori and the National Government and it is as significant for the party as it is for me as an individual."
Mr Key said a special ceremony would take place to mark the significance of it.
He and Dr te Heuheu were going to re-enact a ceremony that took place in the 1850s when Governor Grey visited and it involved each tying a rope to a flagpole.
The tribal leaders have been preparing a paper to put to the new Prime Minister setting out issues of concern.
Those issues include upholding the integrity of Treaty of Waitangi settlements in the face of an emissions trading scheme that affected the value of forests; and water allocation rights and water management issues.
Mr Key said he saw it as a long-term and complex issue.
"There's a lot of water to go under the bridge. But we have indicated we see water allocation as an important issue and one that the Government will need to address.
"I don't think there is any question that if you ultimately move down the path of resolving those issues then Maori will be involved."
That was why water allocation was not part of the initial reforms of the Resource Management Act that National would be passing in its first 100 days.
Other topics may include Maori interest in geothermal energy, constitutional reform and issues of social equity.
