History has once again proven tough to dislodge when it comes to the perception of the country's waterways, writes Paul Moon.

The Maori fight against the partial sale of Mighty River Power goes to court on Tuesday after papers to block the sale were filed in the High Court at Wellington.

Finance Minister Bill English welcomes opportunity to defend sale of state-owned enterprise in court.

The Government has confirmed it will not proceed with the Waitangi Tribunal's "shares plus'' concept when it partially privatises Mighty River Power.

Mighty River has lost one of two Maori directors in what appears to be fall-out from opposition to the government's plans to partially privatise SOEs.

The Government's water rights consultation hui is not robust or long enough, according to Ngati Maniapoto leaders.

The Maori King and the Prime Minister drew the battle lines, with the former saying "Maori'' and the latter saying "No One''. Today, two legal academics explore the deep currents that lie beneath each claim.

The push for Maori unity of water rights negotiations looked in danger of unravelling yesterday after one iwi asserted its right to negotiate as it saw fit with the Government.

More empty chairs than people filled the Government's first "shares plus" consultation hui in Hamilton last night.

The water rights issue heats up as Tuku Morgan replies to the PM's dismissal of Maori ownership, by calling him 'culturally ignorant'.

Maori King Tuheitia challenged the PM's dictum that no one owns the water by ending his hui last night with the declaration, "We have always owned the water!"

Peter Lyons details his list of some of the most fascinating and unique features of the political and economic environment.

National will have to eat some humble pie in pushing back the float of Mighty River shares. But not that much.