The Ngati Raukawa Settlement Trust says the agreement to co-manage the Waikato River has united iwi from up and down the river.
Chairman Chris McKenzie says the first reading of the Ngati Tuwharetoa, Raukawa and Te Arawa River Iwi Waikato River Bill in Parliament on Wednesday night was hugely significant for the tribes kaumatua, many of whom travelled to Wellington for the occasion.
He told Waatea News the negotiations were successful because the approach taken was very pragmatic and not focussed on boundaries.
Mr McKenzie said the bill, which follows an earlier agreement between Waikato-Tainui and the Crown, will allow a clean-up of the river to proceed in earnest.
