Te Moana, a Toi iwi leaders' forum, an important lesson has been learned from the Rena crisis - that tribes recognise the power of the collective, while still maintaining their tribal mana.
The forum was set up in response to the grounding of the container ship off the coast of Tauranga in October last year.
When the ship ran aground the forum met twice daily and, despite scaling back the frequency of meetings, still meets on a monthly basis to discuss issues surrounding the Rena.
Te Moana chair Awanui Black said iwi have been dubious about collectives because of what has happened in the past.
But he said if there are common issues, iwi can collectively get together while retaining tribal mana and achieve good outcomes.
