Whanganui River iwi are days away from settling one of the country's longest-running court cases.
The initialling of the tribe's deed, which will establish the Whanganui River as its own legal entity to be managed by iwi, was scheduled for last week but the process has been delayed due to technical issues.
Te Tai Hauauru MP Tariana Turia says the iwi are being careful as they don't want to sign up for something that, through one word, might deny them something they've been seeking for 140 years.
However, she believes there will be some progress within the next two weeks.
Mrs Turia says people must understand that settlements are not about justice; they're about the Crown acknowledging past wrongs and compensating iwi for some of that.
