Has the man gone soft? Isn't he Mr Tino Rangatiratanga?
Mr Iti says there are two inevitables of change happening _ the first is the tino rangatiratanga movement has to evolve. He won't criticise Te Weeti, and is careful to point out that none of what he says relates to his Ruatoki relation.
But those involved had to start acting differently, he said.
"I think I can say we have to act like rangatira more than victims. I still think people are in the victim mode. I think we have to get away from that. I've never been a victim, I've never seen myself as broken-arse.
"I always hate that kind of korero _ `we are very poor' _ but we're not poor. For me we've always been rich in many ways."
For a man who has made a point of big statements _ firing guns, mooning dignitaries, sitting with a box of matches at a forestry settlement negotiation meeting _ isn't asking people to act more chiefly a bit rich?
Don't misunderstand him, he said.
"I'm still Mr Tino Rangatiratanga.
"I've always acted like a rangatira. Everything I've done, I've picked a place and a time _ and there are consequences to my actions. I don't go around causing chaos, there are boundary lines.
"I think some people will only see me with a bare bum, they see me spitting and I think that's the problem, that's the difficulty I have. At the same time I know that people in this country are not stupid."
Tino rangatiratanga was already moving to the next phase, he said. The first involved protest, and opening people's eyes to forms of racism. Now tino rangatiratanga had to have some practical meaning.
He agrees with another Tuhoe leader, Tamati Kruger, who said the "slogan" had power when the iwi had no power. Now, as the tribe becomes a major multimillion-dollar force in the forestry industry courtesy of the Central North Island collective deal, things have changed.
The challenge is to give substance to Tuhoe's self-determination aspirations _ that can happen through these negotiations, Mr Iti believes.
He wants constitutional change which would see his iwi have a relationship towards the Crown akin to Northern Ireland, Scottish and Welsh arrangements with Britain.
A clause in the terms of negotiations sets out that clarity between the Crown and Tuhoe regarding their constitutional relationship will be explored _ the tribe never signed the Treaty of Waitangi.
Whether that's as explicit as providing a base for self-government remains to be seen, but no other settlement iwi has placed as much emphasis on the political relationship as Tuhoe.
"It's not very long ago they were saying things like they [the Crown] will never enter into negotiations about Te Urewera [National Park], that's on the table now. The issue about the constitution, that's on the table _ it's no longer in cuckoo-land."
Separatism is already a way of life for many Tuhoe people _ Mr Iti refers to the confiscation lines which allowed government troops in the 19th century to strip the tribe of their land, while raping, pillaging and murdering.
He says both issues aren't things New Zealanders should be "paranoid" about _ change need not be violent.
He voted for himself as one of 13 candidates for three co-negotiation positions to represent Tuhoe in negotiations _ although the Weekend Herald understands he was unsuccessful. It's not something he's too upset about.
Today he flies to Switzerland, to performing on another stage as the main character in The Tempest.
