Hundreds of Māori gathered at Ōmāhu Marae near Hastings for the second national hui this year following one at Ngāruawāhia.
Among those in attendance are Kiingi Tuuheitia, Rātana Church tumuaki Manuao Te Kohamutunga Tamou and Sir Robert 'Bom'
Gillies, the last surviving soldier of the 28th Māori Battalion.
Strategies for how to put the kaupapa of kotahitanga (unity) into action are being discussed at the hui.
Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris spoke at the pōwhiri and presented the party's declaration of Māori independence to establish a Māori parliament.
Ngāti Kahungunu chair Bayden Barber said Māori held their own future.
He shared some details of a potential Māori parliament, which he said would be modelled on the Māori parliament which
first stood at Waipatu Marae in Hastings in 1892.
"Kei te kapu o ā tātau nei ringaringa te apōpōtanga o te iwi Māori, we have it in our hands e hoa mā.
"And it's time we organise ourselves nē, we need to organise ourselves koira tō tātou nei mahi i te rā nei."
The parliament would include an upper and lower house with traditional leaders - like Kiingi Tuuheitia sitting above
acting as spiritual guidance, Barber said.
The government still had an important part to play in Māori affairs, as seen with the Budget, he said.