The chair of Nelson's Te Kahui Ngahuru Trust, James Wheeler, hopes tough talking by the United Nations will help towards direct negotiation of its claims.
Waatea News reports the UN Human Rights Committee has urged the Government to talk directly with the trust, rather than including it in a comprehensive settlement for the upper South Island.
The call was made in a four-yearly review by the the committee of New Zealand's compliance with an International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
While the trust is part of the Tainui Taranaki ki te Tonga group, Mr Wheeler says its WAI 56 claims belong to specific families within the hapu.
He says there are many precedents for the Government negotiating directly with hapu.
