Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Photo: RNZ / Russell Palmer
The National Iwi Chairs Forum says it is working towards getting both factions of Te Pāti Māori to a hui in Wellington next week.
The leadership body has been liaising with the party's leadership and estranged MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kinga and Tākuta Ferris in an effort to stop the party splitting up.
Ngāti Kahungunu chair Bayden Barber met with co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa Packer and Rawiri Waititi on Tuesday, and said he had received a commitment from them to meet the other faction.
Ngāti Kahungunu chair Bayden Barber. Photo: RNZ / Kate Green
He sat down with Ferris on Thursday.
"He agreed to meet at a marae here in Wellington, so that was pleasing."
Kapa-Kingi was not available for the meeting, he said.
"She's always been quite firm that she wanted to meet with her people in the north, Tai Tokerau, so I'm assuming that was the reason, but there was no official reason given."
"We hope to be able to be in contact with Mariameno as well but we'll just have to wait and see."
Barber confirmed party president John Tamihere had not been at either of these meetings, but the Forum had had "a number of conversations" with him on the phone.
A potential meeting next week was still to be confirmed, but Barber was hopeful the two factions could patch things up.
"We're always optimistic until told otherwise, but it was a very constructive meeting with Tākuta on Thursday, as was our meeting with the party leaders on Tuesday.
"That's pleasing, but until we're actually at a hui together, there's still a lot of work to be done."
Te Pāti Māori general manager Kiri Tamihere-Waititi, daughter of John Tamihere and wife of Rawiri Waititi, posted several monologues on Instagram about the conflict.
Barber said iwi leaders had asked both sides to stop the online tit-for-tat.
"One of the things we did talk about with party leaders on Tuesday and with Tākuta on Thursday was to put a moratorium or a ceasefire on social media barbs.
"My feeling was that there was agreement to it. That was my feeling, without having it in writing, that having goes at each other online is not helpful for finding a resolution."
Barber said it would not be good if the party split up.
"If that happens, that's not the outcome we're looking for. We're looking to reconcile everything. Reconciliation is the best outcome.
"Having a split totara log is only good for the fire. That whakataukī, the proverb, that's been spoken of a number of times in these conversations.
"Twelve months out from an election, to have a party split, that's going to be a tough challenge."
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