But to understand the steps towards water governance reform concerning the iwi it is necessary to briefly recount the historical background. This breached the Treaty of Waitangi10 and denied Waikato-Tainui and other iwi and hapuu decision-making rights and interests and mana whakahaere (authority, exercise of rights and responsibilities) in the Waikato River and its resources. This led to a historical claim under the Treaty of Waitangi in the 1960s, which was settled in December 2009 when the Crown and Waikato-Tainui signed the “Waikato-Tainui River Deed of Settlement”.