KEY POINTS:
Except for the fact that he was flanked by Titewhai Harawira, everything about John Key at a powhiri at Waitangi today was low-key.
But don't read anything about political preferences into the lady who once led Helen Clark onto the same marae.
Welcoming people meant putting aside politics for a while, taking dignities into to Te Tii mare is her job.
"My role here is to bring the dignitaries on. This is about the mana of the marae and to allow them to come on with dignity."
"I said to him (John Key) this morning it was really nice to have him. We may not agree on a lot of his policies but this is not about politics (the powhiri).
It is a much softer side to the Maori activist than is usually seen.
But I'm about to ask her if she's lost some her fire when she launches into an attack on all parties: "Why are they afraid of honouring our treaty, why are the politicians afraid of it."
John Key said, "I think she's just taking a pragmatic view. She respected the view that I fronted up, she agreed to take me on and grabbed my hand and made sure I found the right way."
