Jacinda to attend Waitangi day ceremony at Waitangi

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, January 23rd, 2018 - 29 comments
Categories: Andrew Little, helen clark, jacinda ardern, john key, Kelvin Davis, labour, Maori Issues, nz first, Politics - Tags: ,

Part of the reason I believe Jacinda is doing so well is there is something really fresh in her approach to issues.

Her recent announcement concerning Waitangi is a classic example. Rather than show indifference to Ngāpuhi’s justified anger over breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi not only is she going to front up to the ceremony but she is going to spend an extended period of time in the area. This is important because Waitangi Day should be our national day that we all celebrate but it will not be until Treaty breaches have been acknowledged and proper compensation offered. And the Ngāpuhi claim is the most important and most complex claim to settle.

From Mihingarangi Forbes at Radio New Zealand:

Ms Ardern has announced she will attend Waitangi for more than five days in an unprecedented move.

The pōwhiri at Waitangi for Prime Ministers and dignatories can be imposing, even daunting and for many years one of Ngāpuhi’s most notable kuia has been there to guide them.

Titewhai Harawira who is well into her 80s said she was looking forward to escorting Ms Ardern and hoped to spend some time with her.

Ms Ardern told media today Waitangi is about more than one day and she wants to make full use of the time when people are gathered there to meet together as a government that wants to form open transparent relationships.

Ms Ardern said this Waitangi felt like a fresh start.

Mrs Harawira said the northern tribes, including Ngāpuhi, were first to sign the Treaty of Waitangi but Ngāpuhi’s claims against the Crown was yet to be sorted.

Last year, the former Prime Minister, Bill English, boycotted Waitangi and spent the day in Auckland.

The action is in stark contrast to the actions of John Key and Bill English who both recently boycotted the Waitangi event.  And Helen Clark also avoided the event although for personal rather than political reasons.

No doubt local MPs Kelvin Davis, Peeni Henare, Willow-Jean Prime, Kelvin Davis and Winston Peters all consider the approach to be the right one.  And Andrew Little has made advancement of the Ngapuhi settlement a matter of priority.

He recently toured the North to talk to local iwi and to try and progress negotiations.  From Dean Nathan at Maori Television:

It was a full house at Waitangi today with over 400 people in attendance for Andrew Little’s first meeting with Ngāpuhi as Minister of Treaty Negotiations.  Its follows separate meetings yesterday with the mandated authority Tūhoronuku and Te Kotahitanga o ngā hapu o Ngāpuhi.

The Minister made it clear he had come to listen and those given the opportunity to speak, starting with the Ngāpuhi leader and veteran activist Titewhai Harawira.

“Listen to this kaupapa.  You come to Ngāpuhi with a kaupapa and the only kaupapa we want to hear is that you’re going to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and He Whakaputanga.”

The Whangaroa district claimant Pat Tauroa says, “Come to our rohe and assist us to get our hapū to an understanding where they have the skills to adequately use the resources that you say will come to us.  That’s what we need right now.”

Little responded with, “The issue of hapū rangatiratanga is real and I think plenty of the kōrero today was actually about that, respect the hapū and involve the hapū.   But doing that doesn’t mean to say we don’t still look at one settlement.  And it is about getting the momentum around talks.  Getting the links and connections and relationships working so that we involve hapū.”

The proposal is risky and the prospects of opposition mischief making is high.  But if we are going to progress as a nation the Ngāpuhi claim has to be settled properly.  And fronting up and listening and discussing is exactly what our Prime Minister should be doing.

29 comments on “Jacinda to attend Waitangi day ceremony at Waitangi ”

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  1. Ad 1
    23 January 2018 at 9:18 am

    Nothing but respect for Andrew Little.

    Guarantee he’s been behind Prime Minister Ardern’s move to spend a week there.

    Plenty can go wrong there, but plenty can go right as well.

    This is this government’s boldest piece of symbolism so far and sets an extremely high bar for future appearances there in this term.

  2. JanM 2
    23 January 2018 at 9:25 am

    I hope Titewhai Harawira is more considerate to Jacinda than she was to Helen. The situation has changed, however, since women are now able to speak on Te Tii Marae

  3. mac1 3
    23 January 2018 at 9:27 am

    Resolution of this claim would be tremendous. If spending that amount of time is an expression of degree of earnestness, then the level of understanding that will be exchanged will go a long way to achieving this.

    And spending time to gain the necessary relationship qualifications of understanding, respect, fairness and aroha is part of good negotiation in which our new PM has shown she has considerable skills.

    There is a new mood in this country that bodes well for positive change. I for one am hopeful.

  4. Enough is Enough 4
    23 January 2018 at 11:33 am

    I am interested to know why you think “…the Ngāpuhi claim is the most important.. to settle.”

    • JanM 4.1
      23 January 2018 at 11:41 am

      Well it’s the largest, for a start

      • Enough is Enough 4.1.1
        23 January 2018 at 11:45 am

        I am not sure that the size of the iwi is relevant to the importance of a treaty settlement. I look at them all equally.

        If that is your start, keep going.

    • mickysavage 4.2
      23 January 2018 at 11:43 am

      I think this because it is potentially the biggest, the most complex and because the interaction between Ngāpuhi and Pakeha was greater and symbolically because the signing of the treaty started in the Ngāpuhi area.

  5. Tanz 5
    23 January 2018 at 1:20 pm

    Bill English and National also always attended, especially John Key. Why is this a big deal. Our PM’s are expected to attend, and they should, even if often it ends up a fracas. New Zealand day is well overdue, as we are now multi-cultural…or so we are told.

    • You_Fool 5.1
      23 January 2018 at 1:28 pm

      Always? Especially Mr Key? Except the times they didn’t right? No one counts those, they were making a principled stand, esp that great Bill English, showing everyone that Waitangi day was for everyone by not attending the only Waitangi day celebrations in Waitangi whilst he was PM.

      And I wonder why this one could be such a big deal? Maybe it is because of the fuss kicked up last year by the former PM, can’t remember who that was at the time… maybe it was Winnie, I doubt he would go to Waitangi ever, just sell everyone out. right? Tanz?

      • Tanz 5.1.1
        23 January 2018 at 1:51 pm

        Winston will be attending in 2019 as our PM, this is highly likely. I am actually quite pleased he is going to be PM, it is the one role he will be good at and at last some pre election promises will finally be rolled out. We will have a conservative PM, in a left wing govt. It’s funny and fabulous.

        • Ross 5.1.1.1
          23 January 2018 at 2:01 pm

          He isn’t PM and won’t be unless Ardern is overseas or on parental leave. You really need a lie down and a cup of tea. 🙂

        • You_Fool 5.1.1.2
          23 January 2018 at 2:38 pm

          That seems at odds to your previous statements, any reason for the flip flop?

          • Tanz 5.1.1.2.1
            23 January 2018 at 6:00 pm

            Just decided that he is a great candidate for PM, he has conservative values, was a lawyer (won’t hold that against him!) and that he will make a better PM than anyone else on the Labour front bench or in their entire caucus. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being PM for a long stretch of time; that was always his end goal. Time will tell. Exciting times, indeed.

          • Anne 5.1.1.2.2
            23 January 2018 at 6:58 pm

            Don’t worry You_Fool (love your pseudonym):

            Next week it’ll be back to… “Winston is evil…Winston is this… Winston is that… blah, blah blah. To think I voted for him. Never again”.

        • james 5.1.1.3
          23 January 2018 at 5:47 pm

          And how the hell will that happen?

          Ardern leaves the next in Labour becomes the PM not winny .

          • In Vino 5.1.1.3.1
            23 January 2018 at 7:32 pm

            Tanz really does need assistance if she is to become an effective ‘advocate of the Right’ (ie, troll).

    • mauī 5.2
      23 January 2018 at 2:23 pm

      White privilege day would be a better name, just like Australia:

  6. solkta 6
    23 January 2018 at 1:24 pm

    “Bill English and National also always attended, especially John Key”

    google is your friend.

    • You_Fool 6.1
      23 January 2018 at 1:29 pm

      Don’t expect Tanz and reality to be friends, or even acquaintances really… I don’t even know if Tanz has reality on facebook…

  7. Tanz 7
    23 January 2018 at 6:01 pm

    Facebook is for numpties. Also all the pollies FB pages are completely one-way, what is the point!! It’s like conversations with no one.

  8. mary_a 8
    23 January 2018 at 6:46 pm

    Good one Jacinda (and of course Andrew Little). At least she isn’t afraid to face any challenges that may or may not come at Waitangi. Either way, Jacinda will be able handle the situation with dignity and respect and I’m sure that same respect will be reciprocated.

    Jacinda is proving she is indeed a woman of strong character and substance.

    A fresh change is in the air. A new and positive beginning for NZ is coming. Appropriately Waitangi will be the start.

  9. BM 9
    23 January 2018 at 8:06 pm

    5 days at Waitangi?

    She really is a figurehead, who’s actually running the country?

    • McFlock 9.1
      23 January 2018 at 8:21 pm

      who’s actually running the country?

      Competent ministers whom she can contact with the benefits of modern technology.

      The latter aspect shouldn’t be news for you, but I can understand why the former might be an alien concept.

  10. alwyn 10
    23 January 2018 at 8:37 pm

    “The action is in stark contrast to the actions of John Key and Bill English who both recently boycotted the Waitangi event. And Helen Clark also avoided the event although for personal rather than political reasons.”.

    Wow. That is certainly an interesting interpretation of history.
    Have you considered switching you eye-patch from covering the right eye to covering the left?
    Helen Clark didn’t go to Waitangi for the very same reason that Key and English didn’t go. Get over it Mickey. Rewriting history is a futile exercise on your part.