South Island iwi Ngai Tahu says it is comfortable with ongoing negotiations with the Government over water rights and says the Maori Council's Waitangi Tribunal claim is "premature".
In a statement yesterday, Ngai Tahu deputy kaiwhakahaere Lisa Tumahai said her iwi had been taking part in several forums where it had been able to find common ground with other stakeholders.
This had allowed others to come to better understand the iwi's customary interest in streams, rivers, estuaries and lakes throughout the South Island.
Ngai Tahu was also a member of the Iwi Leaders Group on water, which had been involved in direct discussions with the Crown to "look at ways of addressing unresolved issues".
"While the issues are complex, we have been encouraged by ongoing goodwill in all these forums and the possibility that this creates win-win outcomes.
"Because of its pursuit of solutions in these forums, and because the Crown has been open to discussion, Ngai Tahu remains of the view that seeking urgent hearings before the Waitangi Tribunal was premature," Ms Tumahai said.
"However, at the end of the day, we are simply choosing different pathways towards the same outcomes."
The hearing to consider the council's bid to halt the sale of Mighty River Power later this year until Maori rights and interests in water are established became heated again as it entered its last couple of hours at Lower Hutt's Waiwhetu marae yesterday afternoon.
The council's lead counsel Felix Geiringer claimed the Crown had held back much of its case until the last day, leaving him and his team little time to respond in writing by early next week.
Tribunal chairman Wilson Isaac gave the Maori Council's legal team another two days to respond in writing to the Crown's closing submissions.
In the Crown's closing submissions yesterday afternoon, Crown lawyer Paul Radich restated the thrust of the Crown's case.
He said issues around Maori rights and interests in water were being addressed through direct negotiations with the Crown.
Those negotiations and the Crown's ability to make adequate redress for claims would not be affected by the partial sale of Mighty River Power and other power companies.
But Mr Isaac was unwilling to give consideration to Ngai Tahu's statement regarding those negotiations yesterday afternoon.
"That's nice" he said when the Crown drew his attention to it.
The tribunal is expected to produce interim findings on the council's claim by the end of this month.
