The Minister in Charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Margaret Wilson, and leaders of Te Arawa will on Monday sign terms of negotiation for further talks on the Te Arawa lakes issue.

The terms of negotiation will replace earlier terms signed by the previous government. The new terms will refer to the role of the Minister of Maori Affairs in the settlement process. The Minister of Maori Affairs is responsible for making an offer relating to the annuity paid to Te Arawa for the lakes.

"The outcome, I hope, will be a settlement which can bring to an end the years of grievance over Crown actions which are now accepted to have been wrong," said Margaret Wilson.

"Te Arawa and other communities who value access to the lakes have been assured of the government's commitment to them. It is now a matter of allowing the negotiations to proceed in a calm environment; I do not expect that either party will be discussing the negotiations until there is concrete progress to report".

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