A Tauranga tribe says its people are once again finding their roots, now that they have settled their grievances with the Crown.
Ngati Pukenga signed its Deed of Settlement on Sunday.
The iwi was faithful to the Treaty of Waitangi and did not fight against colonial troops in the 1860s - choosing instead to move away.
But when the people returned a generation later, the land had been taken.
Te Au Maaro o Ngati Pukenga Trust chair Rehua Smallman said the loss of whenua meant they could not be as one.
He said the separation means the descendants haven't been able to co-exist strongly as an iwi.
Mr Smallman said parents of his generation thought they were part of another tribe.
The Crown has acknowledged it breached the Treaty of Waitangi.
It's also recognised that the people have been unable to maintain kaitiaki responsibilities as tangata whenua to manage the lands and waters of Tauranga Moana.
