The chair of Ngāti Kahu says a licence given to the Norwegian oil company, Statoil, to explore 10,000km³ of the Te Reinga Basin is a sign that the region's current treaty settlements are a farce.
On Friday, Ngāti Kuri was the fourth Muriwhenua tribe to settle its treaty grievances.
Despite the small tracts of returned lands and monies passed over to Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa, Ngāi Takoto and Ngāti Kuri in settlements, Ngāti Kahu say the rünanga of those respective tribes remain tight-lipped over the oil exploration at Te Reinga as they're bound by the settlements.
Currently, Ngāti Kahu is supporting the re-occupation of ancestral lands by their kin.