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If the Tino Rangatiratanga flag can't fly from the Auckland Harbour Bridge there are plenty of other public places it will look just as good at for Waitangi Day, backers say.
The Maori sovereignty group Te Ata Tino Toa, which last year unsuccessfully petitioned Transit to allow the flag to be flown on February 6, said this year it had asked the Auckland Airport, councils, kohanga reo, The Warehouse, NZ Post, Auckland University, media outlets and other groups to parade it in the five days before the public holiday. So far, the university is the only public institution to say it will fly the flag.
Professor Margaret Mutu said although the flag had flown on various occasions at the university's Waipapa Marae, it had been in full flight since the "ridiculous controversy".
"By not flying a flag they [Transit] are demonstrating a fear of it. I don't know what that fear is - maybe a fear of the unknown. They're scared to acknowledge the part Maori play in this country."
Campaign organiser Te Anau Tuiono said flying the flag was about raising awareness about Maori self-determination issues.
Transit general manager network operations Roly Frost said a new "simplified" policy adopted in June meant that only the New Zealand flag would fly from the bridge, so Transit could focus on its core business, the roading network.
