In his 13 years as chairman of the tribal authority, Sonny Tau has truly been tested as the tribe looks to settle its claims.
That was evident at their AGM, following the rejection of his chairman's report.
Ngāti Hine elder, Te Waihoroi Shortland, explained that when it came to points they disagreed with, the report could not be supported, hence its rejection.
One of the holes in the report resulting in its rejection were statements regarding the withdrawal of sub-tribe, Ngāti Hine from the authority.
Mr Tau says Ngāti Hine want to withdraw from Ngāpuhi with half the assets, which is something the rūnanga won't agree to.
While Mr Shortland says the point (for Ngāti Hine) is to negotiate the right figure, be it 50% or 35%.
At the base of all this is the dispute over the mandate to settle claims between Ngāti Hine and the authority. Essentially, the second point in rejection.
Minister Chris Finlayson has affirmed that the Govt has spent $3mil to buy this mandate, in the inference they agree to Tūhoronuku buying Ngāpuhi.
That aside, some positives were found within the annual report, including a growth of assets by almost 16%, while profit is nearly $7mil.
In the coming months a meeting will be held between the tribal authority and Ngāti Hine, in the hope a pathway forward can be agreed on.