Crown facilitator Tuku Morgan's Treaty grievance settlement plan can't be foisted on Ngapuhi - to succeed it must be embraced, Northland Labour list MP Shane Jones says.
Representatives of Ngapuhi's Tuhoronuku and Te Kotahitanga factions will meet in Wellington with Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson, who wants to provide "preliminary feedback" on Mr Morgan's final He Ara Hou: a proposed strategy and pathway to settlement report.
Mr Finlayson has told the two groups he is keen to discuss Ngapuhi's pathway forward.
But while Te Kotahitanga representatives are understood to be accepting much of the plan put forward by Mr Morgan, Tuhoronuku has firmly rejected his proposals.
After a meeting with representatives in Auckland last week, Tuhoronuku said it would keep faith with Ngapuhi who had given their mandate in September last year.
During that process, 5210 voted for Tuhoronuku to represent them and 1584 voted against the move.
"Instead of starting the settlement negotiations process, the Crown has shamefully dragged its heels, requesting further consultation rounds, one after the other, together resulting in more compromises in an attempt to accommodate a minority of opposition," a Tuhoronuku said.
"Tuhoronuku has spent four years, held more than 60 hui and spent $3 million to get to this point, yet the minister refuses to recognise Ngapuhi's mandate and continue with the settlement process."
Mr Jones said the Ngapuhi settlement process had been stuttering too long and the waka needed to supercharge itself.
He said the best settlement model for the tribe lay in the fisheries settlement, which had as a significant obstacle the ambitions of its largest hapu, Ngati Hine.
Mr Jones suggested that in the census due next year all New Zealanders who had Maori affiliations should nominate the iwi to which they belonged.
"That would provide the opportunity for those who nominate Ngati Hine to be cared for by the Ngati Hine Runanga and the rest can back Ngapuhi to get on with business," he said.
"The Crown will clearly see how significant or insignificant the Ngati Hine Runanga is in relation to the affairs of Ngapuhi tribal members."
Ngapuhi recorded a population of around 120,000 people in the 2006 census while Ngati Hine had 2000-3000, Mr Jones said.