A look back at all the action we caught on video from Waitangi Day 2024.
A hīkoi in defence of Te Tiriti o Waitangi is arriving to its final stop at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to its own chant of: “Two, four, six, eight, this government is out the gate”.The march left Te Rēinga Wairua [Cape Reinga] at dawn on February 2 and reached Te Tii Marae this morning.
Its mission is a fight against any planned changes to New Zealand’s founding document. About 1000 people are involved in the Toitu te Tiriti hīkoi, which was formally welcomed to Te Tii with a pōwhiri.
It follows thousands flocking to Te Whare Rūnanga for the Waitangi Day dawn ceremony this morning where political and community leaders offered prayers and readings to the crowd.
This morning, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters hit out at his treatment at Waitangi saying it was the “worst display” and that Ngāpuhi let themselves down.
Peters, who was back in Auckland today ahead of a trip to the Pacific in his capacity as Foreign Minister, told Newstalk ZB this morning he believed it was “sheer politics” driving the response after his brief address at Waitangi yesterday was interrupted by the audience.
A lead organiser of Waitangi Day celebrations believes Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s speech on Monday didn’t sufficiently address Te Tiriti o Waitangi but the Government has earned an apology for the disruption caused by some in the thousands watching proceedings in Waitangi.
Luxon stuck to his script on the mahau (verandah) of the Te Whare Runanga marae at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds as he repeated his regular kōrero about improving outcomes for Māori as he envisioned New Zealand in 2040 when the Te Tiriti turned 200.
The scale of the concern expressed in the past two days led Waitangi National Trust board chairman Pita Tipene to consider Luxon’s speech yesterday to be lacking in addressing the concerns of Māoridom.
However, Tipene accepted there had been “glacial” progress today and looked forward to further discussion.
He also offered an apology to the Government for the disruption caused by some in the thousands who gathered to watch the Crown’s pōwhiri on a stunning Bay of Islands day, saying interruptions to kaikōrero (speeches) from Act leader David Seymour and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters were not appropriate.
Aside from a few protesters who had to be restrained by security, the main source of disruption came from hecklers and those who sang in an attempt to drown out Seymour.
The apology may be less applicable to Peters, who only rose to the challenge set down by hecklers, telling them to “get an education”, “stop the hysteria” and lecturing them on respecting speakers on the marae. His speech, brought forward because he had to leave early, ended with the crowd chanting “e noho” (sit down) at the man from Northland iwi Ngātiwai.
The speeches from the Crown followed several powerful challenges from various speakers who urged the Government to honour Māori self-determination, uphold the Treaty, secure a settlement for Ngāpuhi and have a central focus on unity.
In what were the final words of official proceedings, Waitangi National Trust board chief executive Ben Dalton summed up the day by saying, “We still have a long way to go” and “We’re not speaking the same language yet”.
Luxon’s speech was anchored in the outcomes he hoped to improve for Māori, a common theme that had dominated many of Luxon’s contributions to the country’s debate on race relations and the place of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon delivered his speech from the mahau (verandah) of Te Whare Runanga. Photo / Michael Cunningham
He made no mention of Act’s Treaty Principles Bill - one of the more contentious aspects of the Government’s Māori agenda that aimed to redefine the Treaty’s principles which had been interpreted by the courts for decades.
Much of the kōrero through the pōwhiri for the Opposition and the Kīngitanga in recent days had focused on how best New Zealand honours Te Tiriti.
Speaking to media at the end of the day, Luxon defended the lack of focus on Te Tiriti, saying again he was responding to the two questions put to him - what was his vision of New Zealand in 2040, and what needs to happen to make that a reality.
“I was tasked with talking about two questions ... and that’s what we did.”
Early in his speech, Luxon referenced the country’s “struggle” to understand the “intentions and expectations” of those who signed Te Tiriti but quickly moved on to listing Māori inequities and his desire to address them, particularly in education which worried him most.
“How can a first-world country have 55 per cent of our kids not attending school regularly and our children not knowing the basics well? It’s a future moral and economic disaster,” Luxon said.
“So, our Government will do its part by backing our Kaupapa Māori education system, reintroducing partnership schools, investing in structured literacy, teaching the basics well, and setting clear targets focused on attendance and achievement so that our kids can have the futures they all deserve.”
Kīngitanga spokesman Rahui Papa has long challenged the Prime Minister on what his plan is for the country. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Earlier in the day, Kīngitanga spokesman Rahui Papa had countered Luxon’s position on this, saying truancy was only solved through addressing the systemic issues hindering Māori participation and success in education.
All in all, Luxon said he came away “very impressed” that New Zealand could hold an event with a range of people and a range of views in one place.
Tipene expressed disappointment that Luxon didn’t speak more of New Zealand’s founding documents and instead provided a generic vision for the country.
“We’re talking past each other,” he said.
He did accept “glacial” progress had been made today and promised “earnest discussions” in the future.
Tipene conceded that some in the crowd that surrounded the marae had not behaved appropriately and he offered an apology to the Government, saying the disruption of heckling and drowning out was “very unfair”, particularly for Act MP Nicole McKee, who spoke from the mahau (verandah) completely in te reo.
He accepted that Ngāpuhi leaders should have intervened earlier to cease the interruptions.
While the audience had grown unsettled through McKee’s speech, it wasn’t until Peters took to the microphone that onlookers found their full voice as the Deputy Prime Minister essentially engaged in a shouting match with those watching.
NZ First leader and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters wasn't afraid to go on the offensive at Waitangi. Photo / Michael Cunningham
His first mission was to clarify misinterpretations of the Government’s intentions: “Whoever said we were getting rid of the Treaty?
“So stop the crap, stop the nonsense and stop the hysteria.
“If you think separatism and division will take us to 2040, you’ve got another think coming.”
Peters then employed a familiar tactic of his by lecturing hecklers on significant historical events for Māori, including those he’d been involved in, in a way of showing his authority.
“Some of us have been fighting for land rights for decades and where were you?
“Get an education.”
Peters, who had to leave proceedings for another engagement as part of his Foreign Affairs duties, concluded by bemoaning the lack of respect he was afforded.
“I used to go to marae where they had tikanga [custom] and respect, not people shouting at the speaker,” Peters yelled at his critics.
Tipene indicated to media he was less apologetic to Peters, who he thought was “combative” and that if he was prepared to “throw an uppercut” then he was always “going to get one back”.
Waitangi National Trust board chairman Pita Tipene speaking to media. Photo / Michael Cunningham
This was echoed by NZ First MP and son of the north Shane Jones, who was not surprised by the reaction of his leader or the crowd.
“I think both Winston and I know people have pent-up emotions ... people are on edge.”
On several occasions, Dalton reminded the crowd to be respectful ahead of Seymour’s speech - an acknowledgement of the anticipation for the first time the Act leader would have spoken about Māori issues in such a public forum, given he’d opted not to attend Rātana last month.
Seymour called for “respect” and “facts” in his denial of incorrect claims he’d called Māori unwashed and had avoided using te reo by having McKee make her earlier speech.
He swiftly moved on to the criticism his Government had copped over recent days, which included being called “spiders”, “a den of lions” and “sandflies” eating at the founding documents.
“Not even Donald Trump is calling his opponents insects yet,” Seymour said.
Seymour was initially interrupted by protesters singing but was aided by iwi leaders telling the crowd to quieten.
That lasted a short time before the singing resumed. Seymour pushed on, not letting the disruption stem his flow in advocating for a “beautiful country” with equal rights for all.
“We will fight for the rights of every single person whether they have been here for 1000 years or just got here yesterday.”
Act leader David Seymour leaving the Waitangi marae after his speech. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Speaking afterwards to media, Seymour believed only a “small minority” had booed him but “overwhelmingly” it was a positive exchange of ideas.
“There were people who said we wanted to take it [Te Tiriti] away, that we wanted to belittle the Māori language. That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Seymour said.
Much of that kōrero came from former politician and renowned activist Hone Harawira, who threatened the Government would not get away with gutting the Treaty or the Māori language.
“You want to stop te reo? That horse has bolted,” he declared.
He also had a succinct and colourful message for Seymour about his Treaty Principles Bill.
“You and your s*****-arse bill are going down the toilet,” Harawira said to plenty of laughter.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
