The Waitangi Tribunal has set down next Tuesday to hear why the Maori Council's claim on water should be heard under urgency.
The council filed its claim last month, asking to take control of fresh water resources, which it says Maori had before European settlement.
A spokesperson for the council's chairperson Sir Graham Latimer says the Crown is opposing its request for urgency.
Maanu Paul says both sides - the Government and the council - will put forward their views to the tribunal next week.
