Moriori descendant honoured to meet PM

One of the few descendants of the Moriori says it was an honour to meet the Prime Minister this week and show him his spiritual home.

John Key spent just 24 hours on the Chatham Islands, visiting the statue of Tommy Solomon â “ the last full blooded Moriori, who died in 1933.

The Moriori population was decimated by Maori in the 1800s... there are just 1000 descendants alive today.

Tommy's grandson Maui proudly spoke of his heritage this week, and of trying to keep that proud history alive.

"After Granddad died in 1933, they said the Moriori as a people had become extinct. This is what was taught in school, they taught that Moriori were inferior because they didn't fight back against the Maori invaders in 1835."

"Moriori are the Tangata Whenua, indigenous people of these islands, and we have connections to mainland tribes in New Zealand, but our Turangawaewae, our place to stand is here, on Rekohu."

Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson says he’s ready and willing to negotiate with Moriori and Maori on the Chathams.

He says the ball is in their court.

"I just keep repeating 'please, I want to negotiate, I want to be the Minister who does the settlement over here so would you please get on with it'. And I'll come back again later in the year."

Mr Finlayson is confident historical differences can be worked through.

"Looking at it as an island settlement, recognising the differences and problems that there have been through the historical account and so on, but recognising that there are so many things that will work."