A northern iwi leader says the Far North District Council is working hard to support tangata whenua, despite not consulting with some local tribes before letting the BBC film on Ninety Mile Beach.
The council has apologised to a group of iwi for not including them in talks to allow the BBC to film a high speed car sequence at Te Oneroa-a-Tohe (90 mile beach) in March.
The local authority did consult Ngati Kuri, which had no objections to the BBC's request.
However, Te Rarawa is one of the iwi that were not consulted.
Its chairperson Haami Piripi says it was disappointed but the council has made good progress since then.
He says the council has now created an iwi liaison position, which has been very good.
Mr Piripi says it has also started developing guidelines about how it engages with tangata whenua who have ties to local beaches.
