The Crown has rejected a bid by the Far North iwi Ngati Kahu to settle Treaty claims, but has left the door open for further redress.
Ngati Kahu is one of the five Muriwhenua tribes whose joint claim was upheld by the Waitangi Tribunal in 1997.
An agreement in principle was signed last year to settle the claims as individual iwi. Four of the five iwi are on track to finally settle their claims next year.
But Ngati Kahu has written its own deed of partial settlement, proposing further opportunities to seek redress in the future.
Treaty Settlements Minister Chris Finlayson says the Government will not sign partial settlements that allow grievances to linger.
Mr Finlayson says he will continue to work towards a deed of settlement with Ngati Kahu.
However, he will work towards settling the claims of the other four iwi, and will protect Ngati Kahu's interest in shared resources such as the Aupouri forest so as not to delay the process.
