Four of the five Muriwhenua tribes of the Far North are close to initialling their deed of settlement for Treaty claims.
Wai 45 was lodged in 1987 by the late Matiu Rata and upheld by the Waitangi Tribunal 10 years later.
But the five Muriwhenua iwi chose to negotiate separately with the Crown, and the process has taken another 14 years.
Te Rarawa's chief Treaty negotiator Haami Piripi says all but Ngati Kahu are now ready to initial the agreement next week.
He says the four Far North tribes - Ngati Kuri, Te Aupouri, Ngai Takoto and Te Rarawa - are all happy with the negotiations so far. He believes it will be positive for them and the rest of the country.
Mr Piripi says Te Rarawa's share of the settlement is worth $70 million, plus a share in Landcorp farms and forestry land in the Far North.
But he says the deal's most important feature is a pioneering co-governance agreement the iwi have reached with the Department of Conservation and councils over Te Oneroa-a-Tohe (Ninety Mile Beach) and conservation land.
