As a consequence of the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 where the ownership of the foreshore and seabed was vested in the Crown, Tā Mark Solomon approached the late Dame Te Atairangikaahu seeking to call together Iwi Chairs to discuss a collaborative process for iwi to share information on matters of significance to whānau, hapū and iwi.
The result was the establishment of the National Iwi Chairs Forum as a platform for sharing knowledge and information between tangata whenua of Aotearoa at hui held four times a year hosted at different locations throughout the country.
The Forum regularly invites Crown representatives, Members of Parliament, and stakeholder and community groups to present at hui on projects that are of relevance and benefit to the Forum members.
All Iwi Chairs have an open invitation to participate in and contribute to this group. It is reiterated at each hui that the National Iwi Chairs Forum is not a decision-making body.
The information and kōrero from each hui is to be taken back and disseminated amongst whānau and hapū. This ensures that decision-making is kept at the place and the mana of the ahi ka roa is maintained.
