A tribal parliament being set up by Te Arawa will be charged with getting its delegates onto mainstream governing boards that make decisions over resources such as water.
Te Arawa leader Toby Curtis says he believes an iwi superstructure will be set up by the second half of next year.
He says one of its tasks will be to make sure Te Arawa is sharing the table with people who make significant regional decisions, including being alongside local and regional councillors.
Mr Curtis says the group of tribes needs to work towards getting representatives onto governing boards because he says Te Arawa owns a lot of land, lakes, and forestry blocks.
