Violence erupts at Waitangi

3.00pm - By IAN STUART

Violence has erupted today at Waitangi.

Police and protesters traded punches at the Treaty House grounds, moments after protester Arthur Harawira, son of veteran activist Titiwhai, tried to stop a plain clothes policeman filming the action.

Mr Harawira held his hand over the camera the policeman was holding but backed off and moments later was involved in a scuffle with one of the 70 policemen surrounding the flagstaff on the grounds.

As Mr Harawira and the policeman scuffled other protesters ran to join in the action and the police reinforced their line from within the cordon they had created around the flag pole.

"Back off, back off," a policeman told the protesters. "Tell your people to back off."

The eyeball contact continued as protesters harangued police, telling them to "f... off, this is our land".

As the confrontation continued attention was diverted to a lone protester who had climbed 40m to the top of a tree where he lashed a Maori sovereignty flag.

He drew cheers of support from the protesters as he waved at them from the tree top.

The 200 protesters split into two groups, one heading to whare rununga (meeting house) to listen to speeches and the other heading towards the flagstaff to confront police.

The tree the protester climbed was planted in 1836 by Agnes Busby, wife of the British Crown representative James Busby who built the Treaty House.

The flagstaff today is flying the Governor-General's flag, the Navy Ensign, the Union Jack and the Confederation of Maori Chiefs flag.

The flagstaff, which is owned and maintained by the navy, was modified several years ago so that the halyards that haul the flags up are protected inside tubes in a locked case inaccessible to the protesters.

Several years ago protesters hauled all the flags down and replaced them with their own Maori sovereignty flag.

Last year, there was violence around the base of the flag pole as protesters tried to break the police cordon.

The tree climber came down to a hero's welcome from the protesters and when asked by a reporter what it was like up the tree, he said: "Go up and find out for yourself."

He left the flag tied to the top branch and when the protesters were told it was flying far higher than the New Zealand flags on the pole, there was resounding cheer from the protesters.

The climber, who was representing Ngapuhi according to one friend, returned to his friends and led a rousing haka before rejoining the rest of the protesters as they left the Treaty House grounds.

The treaty commemorations this year were marred by two ugly incidents yesterday, when National party leader Don Brash was showered with dirty and hit in the face by a clump of mud outside Te Tii marae and when Prime Minister Helen Clark was subjected to taunts, abuse and jostling on the marae.

At today's dawn service at Waitangi Don Brash was called a racist and a Maori basher as he left the Treaty House grounds, escorted by fellow National MP John Carter.

Ms Clark did not attend today's dawn service. Instead she hosted a breakfast for tribal leaders and VIP guests at her hotel.

She also took a short voyage on twin-hulled waka Te Aurere before a walkabout around stalls in the sports ground on the banks of the Waitangi River.

- NZPA