Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi says a proposal to abolish the Maori fisheries body - Te Ohu Kaimoana - is very short-sighted.
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The suggestion was made in a scheduled review of the organisation by barrister Tim Castles.
Ngāpuhi said it still needed a body to represent and advocate for Māori fisheries issues in policy and legislative changes.
Its rūnanga said no single organisation was better able to do that for Maori than Te Ohu Kaimoana.
It said it would be a short-sighted move to drop the organisation, when Maori have been in the business of fishing forever.
Proposals from the review are being debated by iwi throughout the motu.