Government shows how it will work after its greatest test so far at Waitangi

Tuesday, 6 February 2024

Tova O’Brien is Stuff’s Chief Political Correspondent and host of the weekly political podcast, Tova, which returns later today with a special episode from Waitangi.

ANALYSIS: Waitangi this year was a reminder that waiata, pōwhiri, art, silence and speech can send a far more powerful message than throwing mud or dildos.

On the day the government arrived, waiata was used to say that their views on the paepae were not shared, the wero (challenges) laid down during the pōwhiri showed iwi and hapū were united over the coalition’s policies. Tāme Iti’s art hikoi was at once welcoming, poignant, angry, challenging and profound, silence was used to scream when heckling failed and the speeches - well, the speeches stripped all pretence and laid the speakers bare.

They also showed us exactly what the three-way government is made of and how it plans to make its motley crew rock.

ACT’s Nicole McKee was the first to have her speech cut short by waiata, the song was “Maranga Mai” meaning rise up, alongside chants to “e noho”, sit down.

On the other hand, NZ First’s Shane Jones, who was next to speak from the government’s side, was honoured by a striking haka.

The pendulum swung back like a cannonball when Hone Harawira suddenly walked up to the taumata straight out of left-field and let rip at the government.

“You wanna gut the Treaty, in front of all these people? Hell no!”

Singling out David Seymour and his Treaty Principles Bill, he said: “you and your shitty-ass bill are going down the toilet.”

Unlike with McKee, the only thing drowning Harawira out were cheers and applause.

It was perhaps no surprise then that the next speaker, Winston Peters, came out swinging.

His first punch, a classic Peters move, present a kind of bored indifference to undermine your opponent:

“This is very, very brief, because we have another appointment with a number of ambassadors from overseas.. And they’re important.”

Then, like one of those magic grow toys - just add water and they grow into something far bigger than you’d expect, with every heckle Peters grew louder, fiercer, more determined.

“Whoever said we're getting rid of the Treaty of Waitangi? Tell me? No we didn’t! You tell me who ever said we're getting rid of the Treaty of Waitangi? So stop the crap! Stop the nonsense! Stop the hysteria!”

And you know when he’s really kicking off, “let me tell you sunshine” gets dropped, “I used to go to the marae where they had a thing called tikanga and protocol and respect and not you shouting - see what I mean, see! Get an education! Get some manners!”

And with that, mic drop, Peters stormed off, thronged by security and police, rushing - presumably - to meet all those ambassadors.

The dial had been turned up again just in time for the next government speaker, David Seymour.

The same David Seymour who had earlier received a significantly different wero (challenge) from his fellow coalition leaders as they were welcomed onto Waitangi - it wasn’t just laid down by one person instead a wall of warriors delivered a far longer, far more intense challenge to Seymour.

One of the haka pōwhiri leaders, Padre Brown, told Stuff this was unique, the group had representatives from every hapū and every iwi in the country, “it wasn't just Ngāpuhi that ran the powhiri and that was a bit of a start to solidarity to show our position and our views on the party's policies.”

Seymour described it as “pretty fiery and far out”.

The same could be said about his speech.

Picking up the tonal baton from Peters, Seymour dropped the statesmanly visage he’s been cultivating recently and hit back at the very pointed - and prickly - criticism he and his government colleagues have faced.

“Today I’ve heard people say we are spiders, that we are sandflies, well I’m sorry to say folks not even Donald Trump is calling his opponents insects.

“We need to start talking about ideas, and stop attacking people.

“If you want to have a battle of ideas, then it helps to come armed.”

Like his colleague McKee before him, Seymour’s speech was drowned out by waiata, this time telling him to listen.

But unlike McKee, Seymour seemed determined to drown them back out, he turned the volume up and kept going.

After the reception Seymour received there was a suggestion the Prime Minister’s speech would be called off.

The crowd was asked, “do you want to hear them or not?” and Ngāpuhi leader Mere Mangu reminded them of the silent scream depicted by Edvard Munch, “there’s power in silence”.

As it happened, there wasn’t much to get too rarked up about in the PM’s speech.

Christopher Luxon opted for about the most pedestrian, beige, middle of the road approach you could take to a stump speech - and this wasn’t a stump speech.

That may sound like a criticism but, after his deputy prime ministers had let rip, Luxon’s speech actually landed about right and seemed the appropriate approach to take.

He definitely could have loosened up a bit from the prepared, rehearsed and scripted speech as was pointed out by Waitangi Trust Chair Pita Tipene who said he would have liked a more “free-flowing” discussion about the Treaty.

Whether you love or loathe what they were saying, one thing that all the speakers should be respected for - left, right, whatever - they were unapologetically themselves.

No one will die wondering what the speakers on the Waitangi paepae were thinking.

That goes for everyone from Hone Harawira and Annette Sykes to Winston Peters and David Seymour.

And for that, everyone who spoke at Waitangi was victorious. Yes, just like kiwi cricket - they were all winners on the day.

For the government parties - whether you voted for them or perhaps lean more towards those calling them a three-headed taniwha - that was them, exactly as they are, perfectly representing and talking to their individual policies and constituencies.

Sure, they don’t tessellate but they fit. And after the enormous challenge they were presented with at Waitangi, they showed they can make it work.

Pita Tipene with the last word:

“I think there has been progress. It may be glacial, in saying that glaciers are quite fast these days, but I think there has been some progress. We're hearing that we have got a problem and let's get down and have some earnest discussions.”