Parliamentarians have formally been welcomed to Waitangi with PM Chris Hipkins urging Kiwis to not be afraid to discuss Maori-Crown relations while National Party leader Christopher Luxon labels Treaty 'a little experiment'. Video / NZ Herald
Opinion by Audrey Young
Audrey Young, Senior Political Correspondent at the New Zealand Herald based at Parliament, specialises in writing about politics and power.
So strong is the expectation that Waitangi must be mired in controversy that when there is none, it has to be invented.
Today’s parliamentary welcome at Waitangi went off so well for everyone, it will be barely remembered,
So well did it go, that some have called it “bland,” “boring”or “vanilla.”
Winston Peters, who was there, is always a willing critic.
Apparently, the great crime of the day was that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, National leader Christopher Luxon and Act leader David Seymour used notes to read their speeches.
But clearly it s a no win situation; when they speak in Maori they are criticised; but if they hadn’t attempted to speak Maori at all, they would have been criticised more.
Peters had had the benefit of his close political ally Shane Jones, one of the country’s best Maori orators, being one of the three speakers for the hosts.
Jones recited Seymour’s whakapapa and connection to the Ngati Rehia hapu in Northland and mildly suggested he should perhaps listen to his whanau.
Shane and Dot Jones during the party at their Kerikeri home. Photo / Audrey Young
Jones and his wife, Dot, may have contributed to the largely mellow mood over proceedings. They hosted many of the parliamentary delegation to their annual Waitangi party the night before
Labour guests included Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni, Kelvin Davis, Willie Jackson and Stuart Nash; National MPs included Mark Mitchell, Paul Goldsmith, Erica Stanford, Todd McClay and Harete Hipango: and Greens co-leader James Shaw was there too.
Perhaps in an attempt to find further controversy where there is none, one journalist compared Luxon to One Nation’s Pauline Hanson for suggesting that Hobson’s words “he iwi tahi tatou” meant “together we are one nation.”
Luxon dismissed that with the contempt it deserved.
Slightly more controversial was his decision to describe the Treaty as “a little experiment” but he went on to describe the country as “a 21st century success story able to tackle the challenges that come our way.”
But it was clear from his speech that he was in no way attempting to diminish the importance of the Treaty.
National leader Christopher Luxon delivers his speech during the powhiri for MPs. Photo / Tania Whyte
Hipkins signalled in his speech that he is going to devote more time as Prime Minister to explaining Treaty issues to non-Maori and that the best way to avoid fear and uncertainty about the Treaty is to encourage more debate.
Both Hipkins and Luxon acknowledged that Treaty relationships will not end with the end of Treaty settlements, that it is an enduring document that will lead to changing relationships.
There was some acknowledgement from the organisers that a letter it had sent out may have caused some “confusion” about whether leaders should be able to speak at the powhiri for MPs.
Whether it was confusion or a case of the organisers changing their minds, by the time the powhiri happened, that controversy was forgotten.
There were some disappointments, however. The forum to which political leaders had been invited went ahead with no political leaders besides Greens co-leader Marama Davidson.
That disappointed organisers.
And Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta cancelled a reception and speech she had been planning to give on Saturday to dozens of diplomats who made the trek north to share celebrations.
There’s always next year to try and get it perfect.
