Some Ngai Tahu Maori language speakers say they want the Runanga o Ngai Tahu to be renamed Te Runaka o Kai Tahu.
A number of prominent iwi members are confident the change will come, despite earlier setbacks.
A group of about 12 Ngai Tahu Reo Maori speakers have been pushing the runanga to change the name for some time.
One of the group, Tahu Potiki, says it is likely the fight has been strengthened now, as more young people are learning the iwi dialect.
However, James Daniels from the Runanga o Wairewa, a sub-tribe of Ngai Tahu, says there's no need to change the formal title, which has been used in dealings with the Government about iwi settlements.
