The election results are out for Tuhoronuku - the board that will steer the massive Ngapuhi Treaty settlement.
The election process has caused animosity in the north, where many hapu are still having their claims heard by the Waitangi Tribunal. They resent the push by the Ngapuhi runanga to negotiate the settlement.
Interim Tuhoronuku chair Sonny Tau said the calibre of the successful candidates on the board is heartening, with a good balance of cultural and community governance experience.
Mr Tau has been elected as the sole runanga representative and the two kuia-kaumatua seats have gone to John Klaricich and Nora Rameka, who beat Titewhai Harawira for the job.
Other trustees on the 22-seat board include Kaikohe lawyer Moana Tuwhare, Auckland academic Hone Sadler, Whangaroa's Bill Hori, and runanga employee Kara George.
The major sub-tribe, Ngati Hine, is boycotting Tuhoronuku, along with most Hokianga hapu.
But Mr Tau said Ngati Hine's interests will be represented by trustees who affiliate to that hapu, including Mere Mangu.
Ngati Hine leaders said they've begun the legal process of removing the trustees and kaikorero selected for Tuhoronuku because they don't represent the views of Ngati Hine.
Minister for Treaty Negotiations Chris Finlayson attached conditions to the Tuhoronuku mandate before accepting it in February this year, and said he would review it after the board election.
Hapu took to the streets of Whangarei in protest over the mandate. Photo: RNZ
