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Former MP Dover Samuels says the replica of Captain Cook's ship is welcome to stop by Matauri Bay.
That's not a criticism of Ngāti Kahu to north, who say they don't want the Endeavour in Mangonui, or the tribes of Tūranganui a Kiwa, who are refusing to hold a pōwhiri for the ship in Gisborne.
Mr Samuels says his Ngāti Kura hapū has stories of the English explorer a koha of araara or trevally when he passed by in November 1769.
Cook recognised it as similar to the fish people in Europe call cavalli – hence his renaming of the islands off Matauri.
"That is part of our whakapapa. It's part of our history. It's etched into our tikanga that has been handed down by elders so we would have no problems if the Endeavour decided to anchor off Matauri Bay," Mr Samuels says.
He sees Tuia 250 as a commemoration of a multitude of sailing traditions rather than a celebration of Captain Cook.
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