Central North Island iwi involved in the "Treelords" deal are set to take gradual control of one of the country's biggest forests.
The eight tribes will receive a $400 million Treaty settlement of the Kaingaroa area, near Rotorua, from the Crown next Wednesday.
The iwi will receive 170,000 hectares of land next week, but had to decide whether to settle for passive land ownership or become active in forest management.
An iwi spokesman says the tribes have decided to terminate the licences of the Timberlands company which owns the trees in Kaingaroa forest.
Establishment manager George Asher says the iwi are ready to move on from being a landlord to owning a world class asset.
The collective will progressively become full owners over the next 35 years.
