Nearly 30,000 voting packs have been mailed out to Ngapuhi people all over the country as the largest iwi takes the first step towards settling its treaty grievances.
In the last of the major land claims, Ngapuhi runanga board Tuhoronuku is seeking the mandate to negotiate with the Crown.
A number of hapu in Tai Tokerau are objecting, and have threatened legal action.
But Tuhoronuku interim chair Sonny Tau says 60% of Ngapuhi live in Auckland and their views must be counted.
He says the vote to seek a mandate follows more than 40 hui in New Zealand and in Australia, and the process has been fair and transparent, with all registered tribal members having a chance to make their views known on the strategy.
Mr Tau says that while the runanga board has run into opposition from a number of sub-tribes, surveys have shown 91% of those registered with the runanga have indicated they want to negotiate a settlement.
The packs have been mailed out to registered members only, but Mr Tau says all Ngapuhi over the age of 18 can register to vote either online or by taking proof of their age to one of the mandate meetings starting in Auckland next week.
Tuhoronuku says the voting process is being managed entirely by the independent organisation electionz.com.
