KEY POINTS:
The Maori flag will be flown from One Tree Hill on Waitangi Day with or without official support, says a Ngapuhi elder.
The kaumatua, Maori broadcaster Kingi Taurua, said he was frustrated by official obstruction to raising the tino rangatiratanga flag.
"I am sick and tired of regulations being placed on us as Maori people. That flag will be flown on Maungakiekie [One Tree Hill].
"They [the Auckland City Council] can stick their resource consent up their backsides."
Auckland Deputy Mayor Bruce Hucker appeared to scuttle the proposal at the weekend when he said that approval from the council and the local tribe Ngati Whatua was required before the flag could be raised.
He said a meeting between the groups would not take place in time for Waitangi Day tomorrow.
At a hui at the Domain on Friday, One Tree Hill was chosen as a more appropriate site for raising the Maori flag. It followed a Transit NZ decision to knock back an application by the Maori sovereignty group Te Ata Tino Toa, which wanted to hoist the flag on the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
Ngati Whatua holds mana whenua, or customary authority, over One Tree Hill, which is administered by Auckland City Council.
Mr Taurua said mana whenua status meant Maori were not obliged to seek council approval.
Ngati Whatua chairman Grant Hawke could not be reached for comment yesterday. However, last week he supported the call to fly the flag on the harbour bridge.
"If we are prepared to fly other countries' flags, then there must be a time when we fly the Maori flag. Waitangi is one of those days."
Mr Hawke said March 24 was the day Ngati Whatua signed the Treaty, so it would be another significant day for the flag to fly in Auckland.
* Yesterday was Sri Lanka's national day, and the Sri Lankan flag flew from the harbour bridge.
Majority oppose any referendum on changing the NZ ensign
A new poll has come out against holding a referendum on changing New Zealand's flag.
The TV3 poll recorded 43 per cent support for a referendum and 52 per cent against.
In 2005 a campaign led by people from business, sports and the arts - NZFlag.com - tried to collect 270,000 signatures to force a referendum. They gave up that July, ahead of an October deadline, when it became clear they would not reach the target. They had collected about 100,000 signatures but could not attract enough volunteers to ask people to sign.
Maori Party MP Hone Harawira said it was time for a rethink on the national flag.
"It doesn't really say anything about who we are as a people," he told 3 News. "How independent we are. How Pacific we are. It doesn't say anything about that, it just says more about we are right next door to somebody bigger."
The poll also asked whether New Zealand should retain the Queen as head of state; 53 per cent said the issue should be looked at and 39 per cent wanted to move towards a republic.
- NZPA
