Pita Tipene announces he'll quit leadership in Ngāpuhi settlement talks

Two prominent Ngapuhi leaders say the former Treaty negotiations minister Chris Finlayson should butt out of the iwi's affairs. The iwi is voting on setting up a new process to negotiate their Treaty claim with the Crown. The vote appears headed for a deadlock, with the tribe split between supporting the Tuhoronuku grouping and a rival group, Te Kotahitanga. Mr Finlayson told Morning Report the current minister Andrew Little is struggling with the same problem he faced trying to negotiate with Ngapuhi, the leadership of Tuhoronuku. Neither Sonny Tau nor Hone Sadler was willing to be interviewed this morning, but both said Mr Finlayson was no longer involved in the process and should keep his views to himself. Pita Tipene is the co-leader of Ngapuhi breakaway group Te Kotahitanga.