Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she has "no doubt" that her paths will cross with Ihumātao protest leader Pania Newton.
On if she had plans to meet with the hikoi from Ihumātao today, Ms Ardern said she did not have "any plans to, nor do I know that they reached out to me either".
"Most of those intimately involved with, Ihumātao, obviously mana whenua, know the work we have been doing collectively to find a resolution.
"Good progress has been made I feel really positive about that, there are still some things to work through but actually [we're] close to a resolution."
Ms Ardern says she thought she may have seen Ms Newton at the unveiling of the Dame Whina Cooper statue this week.
"It's always been having that opportunity, I thought I might've seen her at the Dame Whina event but didn't, but I have no doubt our paths will cross."
Ms Ardern was at the dawn service of Waitangi Day, saying it was a "beautiful" service.
"It's a service where you have a range of different religions , cultures and even political parties coming together," she says.
"This is the way we should start our year, we talk about all the work we have to do together but we have all the political parties speaking really with one voice around how privileged we are to be here in New Zealand but also acknowledging the Treaty of Waitangi."
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