Angry and emotional scenes have erupted outside Parliament as Hauraki iwi arrived to sign their treaty settlement.

The government is signing the Pare Hauraki collective redress deed despite fierce opposition from several iwi.

Two bus loads of people from 12 iwi, stretching from North Auckland to the Coromandel, arrived just after 9am for the signing ceremony.

They were met by a group of 30 Tauranga Moana iwi members, who are opposed to the settlement.

Parliamentary security had to hold back people from each other, as they got face to face, screaming, crying and chanting.

Tauranga Moana descendant Mere Maihi cried out "traitor" as she held a banner alongside other women.

She said earlier they wanted to make it known that they did not support the Hauraki settlement.

"We are at a loss here.

"Today, our moana is being signed off and we are not okay about that. We are here to oppose that.

"We have tried to have korero with them through tikanga and they have refused at every turn."

The Tauranga Moana iwi say the redress will give Hauraki iwi rights to Tauranga Harbour, and they oppose that.

When they arrived this morning, they were refused access to Parliament, because of concerns that they were there to protest.

Waikato-Waiariki MP Tamati Coffey told the group that there were seats set up outside for them and that they would not be let in.

The group waited peacefully at the entrance for about 20 minutes, forcing staff to open a different entry point for others to access Parliament.

Ngai Te Rangi chairman Charlie Tawhiao says the settlement will give Hauraki iwi mana whenua status in Tauranga where they don't traditionally come from.

He said a tikanga approach needs to be used to sort through issues of overlapping iwi interest.

A last minute request for an injunction from John Tamihere of Ngāti Porou ki Hauraki was declined by the High Court.

John says Ngāti Porou ki Hauraki had faced prejudice at the hands of the Crown during the Treaty settlement process.

He argues the Crown had colluded with its preferred group, effectively excluding all other claimants.

-RNZ