John Key

Wellington, May 14 NZPA - Further talks between Tuhoe and the Crown could be held as early as next week, Tuhoe chief negotiator Tamati Kruger said today.

Prime Minister John Key outraged Tuhoe leadership and other Maori when he said this week iwi would not be given Te Urewera National Park as part of a Treaty of Waitangi settlement. This was despite iwi understanding a settlement was ready to be signed off after 18 months of negotiations.

He followed that with a flippant remark at a tourism event in Auckland yesterday about where he had been dining.

"The good news is that I was having dinner with Ngati Porou, as opposed to their neighbouring iwi which is Tuhoe, in which case I would have been dinner, which wouldn't have been quite so attractive," he said.

Mr Key apologised for the remark, which he said was a self-deprecating joke.

Mr Kruger this morning told Radio New Zealand he had "had some contact" with the Crown since the announcement.

"We do plan to suggest a meeting date some time next week, perhaps," he said.

"The first thing on my mind is that I'm really wondering who I am negotiating with. Should I just negotiate with the prime minister."

It was unlikely the meeting would be over dinner, he joked.

Mr Kruger yesterday told NZPA that while the comment was not as insulting as had been suggested, it was not a good time for Mr Key to be making jokes on an issue where many iwi felt they had been let down.

"It gives me the sense that whatever we say or do he will never, ever take it seriously," he said.

Iwi, along with government officials and some of Mr Key's own colleagues, had until Monday believed a satisfactory settlement had been all but signed off, but that had been "bombed" by the prime minister.

The Presbyterian Church, which has a long-standing relationship with Tuhoe, also supported its plight, saying in a statement the history of the iwi was marked by suffering at the hands of the Crown. It urged the resumption of negotiations.

"Given this troubled history, the past 18 months of negotiations and the emergence of a likely settlement...constituted a real sign of hope for both the Tuhoe iwi and our nation," the church said.

Mr Key yesterday said a 2014 goal of settling all claims was aspirational, but he was not prepared to meet that if it came at too high a cost.

Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell said Mr Key could be humorous when speaking publicly, but that in light of the hurt Tuhoe were feeling over having their hopes dashed, he needed to be more sensitive about what he said.

Mr Key first cracked the joke at the Ngati Porou dinner on Tuesday.