A Taranaki iwi has put the brakes on its Treaty claim, while its register of descendants is sorted out.
The runanga of Ngati Maru Wharanui had proposed that membership could be opened up to anyone who could show they have connections to a Taranaki tupuna (ancestor).
Spokesperson Holden Hohaia says the idea was not popular. He says previous trustees appear to have added a lot of people to the tribal database with no Ngati Maru link.
A full review of descendant registrations will be held over the next six to nine months, using a recently released Maru Whakapapa Research Report - which will help define the tribe's tupuna list.
Plans to hold a hui to mandate a Treaty claim have been put on hold while the review is underway.
