"While some Tamahaki groups became dormant, others continued the fight to have our interests recognised, and did this on behalf of and with the blessing of the people.
"Our position as Tamahaki Kaunihera [a council of Tamahaki hapu] is quite clear - a mandate was given to us at a series of hui-a-hapu held at Pipiriki, Whanganui, Masterton and Raetihi last year, and we have not been idle.
"We have reconstructed the pou at Tieke Marae, painted the tupuna whare, built the shelter over the pou to protect it from all weathers, and built the waharoa to Tieke Marae.
"We have engaged with the director-general of the Department of Conservation at Tieke Marae, and discussed establishing a co-governance model for the Whanganui National Park."
Last weekend a group from Ngati Kaponga ki Mangapapapa Marae jetboated up the river to identify sites and infrastructure necessary to support long-term ahi kaa (right of occupation).
Mr Haitana said Tamahaki has worked for many years in iwi, agency and local authority areas that require iwi input.
"Solid relationships have been built throughout the rohe, not only with government, agencies and local authorities but also with our whanaunga [relations] up and down the river and in the wider district."
Mr Haitana said that finally the wider rohe had the movers and shakers to help the people realise their goals, not only for Treaty claims settlement but for strengthening whanau, hapu, iwi and the entire central area through positive relationships.
Wai claimant Don Robinson said that as the chair of the Whanganui Whare Wananga Trust he supported the need for discussions around the future of the Whanganui National Park, with the ultimate aim of establishing a Maori national park managed by tangata whenua.
He said the trust was formed around the goal in the 1980s of establishing a whare wananga (house of higher learning) in the vacated Waikune prison complex, and to set up satellite training sites on lands provided by the owners/trustees of iwi land, much of it within the Whanganui National Park.
"The purpose was to facilitate cultural revitalisation for the people of the middle reaches of the Whanganui River. Satellite sites would have included such places as Parewaewae, Tieke, Taumatamahoe, Arawhata, Kirikiriroa and others," Mr Robinson said.
He is the only surviving claimant for Wai 48 (renamed Wai 221), which was the vehicle used to take to the Crown grievances around the sale and purchase of the Waimarino, Whakaihuwaka, Taumatamahoe and other blocks. Mr Robinson is also a trustee of Uenuku Charitable Trust, whose mandate to negotiate the comprehensive settlement of all Treaty of Waitangi claims within the Central Whanganui area was approved by the iwi this year.
Wai 555 claimant Robert (Boy) Cribb - also a trustee for Uenuku Charitable Trust - said he has been involved with work to protect Tamahaki interests since being passed the mantle following the death of his father Mark Cribb.
"My focus over 20 years has been to carry on the work of my father, whanau and hapu," Mr Cribb said. "After the hearings for Wai 555 finished in 2008, people went to sleep and left a skeleton crew to carry the banner, to protect the mana and ensure the voices of the hapu of the middle reaches are heard.
"This takes time, energy, resilience and a thick skin - and there's no room for dreamers. We have some big tasks ahead of us, and we want to build infrastructure for the future before settlement occurs.
"This requires us to work together with our Uenuku whanaunga to support our Large Natural Grouping to achieve a Deed of Mandate and to negotiate the settlement of treaty claims."
