The deadlock over the tribal division of Kaingaroa Forest land is about to be broken.
Submissions from eight iwi are being given to a panel of adjudicators who have been brought in after the groups failed to to share the blocks between them according to mana whenua rights.
The Kaingaroa Forest land was returned to the tribes in 2009 as part of a Treaty of Waitangi settlement package.
Tuwharetoa settlement trust chair Dylan Tahau said it understood a final decision would be made by the end of July - and that the ruling could not be challenged.
Mr Tahau said the wait was not in vain and that the process had respected the korero rangatira [leadership discussion] in which no iwi has been belittled through korero from other tribes.
A lot of tribal history had been shared at the hui, and that was history which would not have been recounted if the iwi had not fought for their rights, he said.
