The Crown has signed co-management agreements with local iwi for the Waikato and Waipa rivers.
Treaty Negotiations Minister Michael Cullen says Raukawa, Te Arawa and the Crown have agreed on a management framework for the Upper Waikato River.
He says it will ensure a faster clean-up of the river which will be sustainably managed for all New Zealanders.
Dr Cullen says the Crown has also signed a co-management agreement with Ngati Maniapoto for the Waipa River, the Waikato's most important tributary.
