The fun time had by all on Waitangi Day did not mask the grievances of the Treaty left to settle and the obligation on all New Zealander to acknowledge these, plan to do better, and move on together.
We have seen another Waitangi Day come and go and there has been no shortage of statements and photographs depicting the sunshine and good humour with which people spent a few days in Waitangi.
The usual obsession with personality politics, which is the way New Zealanders do it, was also the continuing theme. We are such a small country we feel we know everyone or know somebody closely connected, so they are almost family. Ours to cheer and support and ours to insult and deride.
I attended Waitangi this year for the first time as a non-politician albeit doing political stuff as we sought out responses to the broken justice system and particularly ideas for positive change.
While driving to Northland I was listening to the radio and a discussion between radio host Jason Gunn and his offsider whose name I can't recall. But the plea from Jason was to put aside all differences and forget about history in order to have a family day to be grateful for the country in which we live.