Tainui 'happy' with Apec powhiri

By Bernard Orsman and Richard Knight


Tainui is distancing itself from comments made by its local MP, Tukoroirangi Morgan, who said Tainui should greet the 20 Apec leaders when they arrive at Auckland Airport - not the next day.

A Tainui spokeswoman, Sue Sarich, said last night that tribal leaders, including the Maori Queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, were consulted before the programme was put together for the arrival and were happy with the arrangements.

Mr Morgan, the MP for Te Tai Hauauru, yesterday blew his stack over the Government's plans to delay the powhiri on Saturday week until the next day, when the leaders would gather at the Carlton Hotel in the city for the conference's official opening.

The hotel powhiri on Sunday will be performed by the local tribe, Ngati Whatua.

Aside from a low-key greeting from a Government minister or mayor at the airport, the only special welcomes planned are for the leaders of the United States, China and South Korea, who are staying on after Apec for state visits.

They will be treated to a multicultural performance by schoolchildren at the airport.

Mr Morgan said cultural integrity demanded that the powhiri take place at the airport and as tangata whenua - the airport is within Tainui boundaries - Tainui should conduct the welcome.

A Maori academic, Dr Ranginui Walker, said Maori protocol was for visitors coming into tribal territory to be tested to see whether they were friendly or hostile.

Sue Sarich said Tainui would be represented at both the airport arrival and hotel powhiri.

Mr Morgan wants to have a group made up of a Maori immersion school from Tainui as well as the Hoani Waititi Kura Kaupapa in Glen Eden, which, he said, included representatives of Ngati Whatua. Mr Morgan and the Minister of Maori Affairs, Tau Henare, have daughters in the group from Hoani Waititi Kura Kaupapa.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Don McKinnon, told Holmes that it had been resolved with Maori more than a year ago that instead of having a series of powhiri at the airport to have one major powhiri at the Carlton Hotel.

He said the 20 leaders were arriving over a 24-hour period.

Ngati Whatua kaumatua Sir Hugh Kawharu said the tribe had been a bit subdued about welcoming the leaders at the hotel because it wanted the welcome to take place at the Orakei marae, but had agreed to the request for security reasons. "The Crown indicated it would be impractical to have a powhiri for all these Apec people before they could be assembled in one place."