PM at odds with Waitangi Trust over separate Government pōwhiri

Monday, 5 February 2024

Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi speak to media before the Kiingitanga pōwhiri at Waitangi.

Tova O’Brien is Stuff’s Chief Political Correspondent and host of the political podcast, Tova. Listen to the episode ‘Protests and Principles’ about the Treaty.

ANALYSIS: This year at Waitangi - as has occasionally been the case in previous years - who’s welcomed onto the marae, with whom and when is as political as many of the speeches and protests.

Labour and the Greens on Saturday, Te Pāti Māori with the Kīngitanga on Sunday, then the three governing parties on Monday. That’s how the pōwhiri have landed.

Te Pāti Māori’s decision to go on separately from the other opposition parties raised the ire of Labour MPs Peeni Henare and Kelvin Davis who said, “we are stronger as one”.

And sure, perhaps in times like these, politically, it would have been good for all the opposition parties to present as a unit.

Māori Party co leader Rawiri Waititi speaking at the Waitangi Waitangi Treaty.

But their decision makes complete sense if you think about it from Te Pāti Māori’s perspective.

As Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer put it, “It’s really important to remember that we’re not a subset of Labour, three years ago Labour didn’t want us and it’s more important that we have the 100% mandate from our people.”

Backed by fellow co-leader Rawiri Waititi, “National and Labour didn't want us. We’re the party that nobody wants! In government they don't want us, in opposition they want to assimilate us. Standing with mana motuhake we can just be us.”

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi and Peeni Henare had a lol despite differences over pōwhiri.

Add to that, Te Pāti Māori told Stuff the Kīngitanga invited them to come on with them. So, would you really turn down an invitation from the King?

You can understand why Henare and Davis were a bit dark. It was a triumph of diplomacy, unity and tikanga that they - alongside the Waitangi National Trust - previously wrangled it so that all political parties would be welcome with one pōwhiri onto Waitangi together.

Leaders from political parties across the parliament welcomed onto Waitangi together for the first time.

The first time was 2019 - and it was a beautiful thing.

Te Pāti Māori leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer talk about their decision to go onto Waitangi with the Kīngitanga.

Labour, National, the Greens and NZ First standing side by side at the Treaty grounds. The ACT party chose not to participate.

Davis explained it like this in his recent valedictory, “ We said all political parties should go on together; no party supporters allowed. We all sing a waiata to tautoko whoever speaks from whichever party. For two hours of the year we should be able to come together, act like adults, and then mix with the people and enjoy the occasion.”

Chris Luxon says it’s the Waitangi Trust who decides protocol at Waitangi, the Trust says it was the government which decided to go on separately.

So you can understand where Labour’s coming from, and also why Te Pāti Māori felt it more important to go on with the Māori movements given their kaupapa.

What makes less sense is the decision made by the Government to go onto Waitangi separately from all the other political parties.

Made weirder still by the fact the Prime Minister seems completely in the dark about the decision made by his Government.

A large crowd gathers at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds as the Maori Party is welcomed

When asked by Stuff last Thursday whether the Government insisted on going on separately, Christopher Luxon said, “No, the Waitangi Trust makes the protocol.”

Chair of the Waitangi National Trust, Pita Tipene

He explained further, “The protocol’s different this year, which is Labour go in on Saturday, the Māori Party go on with the King on Sunday and we go in on Monday - the Government parties. It’s the way they chose it, we don't choose.”

A spokesperson for the PM doubled down on Sunday, “Decisions on the protocol for events at Waitangi are determined by the Waitangi National Trust”.

Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins out on a waka ride in Waitangi

But that’s not how the Waitangi National Trust sees it.

Trust Chairman Pita Tipene told Stuff, “Tikanga prevails so we can only welcome those who arrive at our gate.”

Asked if that meant National and its coalition partners wanted to come on on Monday, Tipene text back, “Yes they decided to come on tomorrow.”

He’s not sure who led the request from government but his response was “we follow tikanga” and when manuhiri (guests) say they’ll be arriving at a certain time we’ll welcome them. Tipene put that to our tikanga group or around 30 people and they agreed.

Which begs the question, if the Prime Minister didn’t make the request - or even know about it - who did?

The word around the Treaty Grounds is that Shane Jones put his foot down and refused to go on with Labour and the Greens. Jones is yet to get back to us to confirm or clarify.

And it makes sense from Jones and NZ First’s perspective. Jones is from the north, there’s no love lost with his former coalition partners and he made a show at Rātana of challenging any critics of the Government’s Māori policy agenda to take him on in debate at Waitangi.

What’s harder to understand is why the Prime Minister wasn’t briefed by Jones or NZ First, especially after a week of appearing to be undermined by NZ First - first over advice about freezing tobacco taxes and then over how long it would take the Government to add an extra 500 new cops to the force.

Also, politically, it doesn’t seem like the smartest move.

Had the Government gone onto Waitangi with the opposition parties, perhaps the focus on them might have been somewhat diluted.

As it stands, all eyes will be laser-focused on the Government’s arrival at Waitangi with plenty of clear air to dissect their policies and direction deemed divisive and backward-looking by Māori.

Labour has been fast to blame National for insisting on separate pōwhiri. Asked for evidence it was National’s fault, Hipkins told Stuff that “the feedback we had from the Trust was that the government had indicated that they wanted to come on separately.”

And it was Labour who first put it out there.

Davis again, from his valedictory last week, “ The Government wants a separate pōwhiri to again make themselves the centre of attention. It is a mistake and if it all turns to custard then the Government alone is to blame.”

A sentiment echoed around Waitangi with an oft-heard sentence: “calm before the storm”.

The decisions that have led to the Government parties going onto Waitangi alone have only added to that sense of anticipation.