Clark to snub Waitangi hot spot

Helen Clark enters Te Tii Marae last year amidst a rowdy, sometimes violent protest. Picture / Richard Robinson

Helen Clark will avoid Te Tii Marae at Waitangi next month, but will attend other official events there despite earlier indications she would spend the day elsewhere.

Last year, the Prime Minister and her entourage were jostled by a scrum of protesters at the lower marae during a sometimes violent confrontation which almost prevented them from getting into the wharenui (meeting house).

She downplayed its significance at the time, but later criticised the reception, describing it as "thuggish".

Parliamentary sources suggested late last year that she would not return to Waitangi this year, but she is understood to have had a change of heart over the past few weeks.

Yesterday, she confirmed she would attend a reception at the Copthorne Hotel at Waitangi hosted by the Governor-General on February 5 and would herself host a breakfast there the next morning.

She was also likely to watch the waka ceremonies and wander around the community stalls near the Upper Treaty Grounds, before leaving for celebrations in Manukau City.

One source involved in the discussions said she did not want to be seen to be cowering to the protesters and did not want other political parties, particularly the Maori Party, to steal the limelight.

The Maori Party's Te Tai Tokerau candidate will be revealed at Waitangi on Waitangi Day.

Five candidates have been nominated for the electorate seat. Veteran Waitangi Day protest leader Hone Harawira is the front-runner.

Helen Clark said yesterday that she had "no plans" to visit Te Tii the day before Waitangi Day, where the protest has traditionally begun.

"People need to focus on the different components of Waitangi. Because the mana of Te Tii has been quite seriously damaged it's not appropriate to go there, and last year made that quite obvious.

"I think it's going to take some time for the mana of Te Tii to be restored."

Maori Council Tai Tokerau district chairman Sir Graham Latimer said he had advised Helen Clark to go to Waitangi.

But he was "quite relaxed" about whether she should go to Te Tii.

Tamaki Makaurau MP John Tamihere said Labour's Maori MPs would go to Te Tii to pay their respects to the people from the marae, who were rarely those behind the trouble.

National Party leader Don Brash, the victim of a mud attack last year, will attend and so will Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peter traditionally attends.

Maori Party nominees for Te Tai Tokerau are:

Electorate seat only: Hone Harawira, Alexis Nathan. Electorate seat and list: Raumati Para, Jim Tipene, Merehora Taurua.
List only: Malcolm Peri and Mere Tau.