Tuhoe is well on the way to settling its Treaty grievances and setting up a new iwi authority.
Last year, the Urewera iwi completed a blueprint document - Towards a New Tuhoe Authority - which gathered the views of Tuhoe and outlined the work to be done.
In early December a new trust board was appointed with Tamati Kruger as chairman and trustees Tamati Cairns, Te Tokawhakaea Temara, Patrick McGarvey, Lorna Taylor, Martin Rakuraku and Matt Te Pou. The board is now looking for a chief executive.
Mr Kruger said the blueprint was the result of two years of collaboration with Tuhoe hapu, kaumatua, pukenga (adults) and iwi.
It was endorsed by the iwi with 97 per cent voting in favour of it being implemented and Mr Kruger said this gave the trust the "confidence of mandate".
An important aspect of the authority would be that it remain grounded in and designed to support the traditional structures of Tuhoe, including the existing tribal executives.
The seven board members were elected according to geographic regions, with two representatives each from Waimana, Ruatahuna and Ruatoki and one from Waikaremoana.
The most important aspect of any settlement would be the return of the 212,672ha Te Urewera National Park to the iwi and he was confident that would happen, Mr Kruger said. Talks with the Government had been going on for five years and "we haven't heard them say no". It was just a matter of timing and politics.
"It's how do they do it without losing power. We are trying to help them out."
One of the trust's main tasks would be to consolidate existing iwi and authorities, Mr Kruger said.
Unification was key for the new authority and existing entities included the Tuhoe Fisheries Charitable Trust, the Tuhoe Waikaremoana Maori Trust Board and Te Kotahi o Tuhoe. Once these were consolidated, Tuhoe would have a $200 million asset base to build the iwi, Mr Kruger said.
Not all Tuhoe wanted to be involved in the new authority, including members of the Ngati Haka Patuheuheu hapu from Waiohau.
"These groups have stepped outside of the arrangements and want to do their own thing," Mr Kruger said. Those entities could elect to become part of the iwi authority in future if they wished.
Mr Kruger said he envisaged Tuhoe would have a Treaty settlement by next year but it could take at least 40 years for the settlement to be fully completed.
It would be a measured process whereby Tuhoe's end goal would be to have its own mana motuhake (independence), enabling the tribe to reach its full potential.
Mr Kruger was optimistic this would be achieved. A taskforce had been established at Cabinet level to assist Tuhoe with a wide range of activities, including economic development, welfare and health. Various government policies over the past 100 years had failed Tuhoe, he said. Tuhoe mana motuhake was about the iwi being responsible for its own wellbeing.
"We think, can we do better ourselves. We have more of an interest in doing it better."