Labour leader Chris Hipkins has come down hard on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon for choosing not to attend Waitangi Day commemorations in the Te Tai Tokerau town where Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed, saying he can’t "stand on his own track record“.
With exactly six weeks to go before Te Rā o Waitangi 2025, Te Tari Pirimia / the Prime Minister’s office confirmed he would not be attending annual commemorations at the Treaty Grounds next year, in favour of joining iwi around the motu for events instead.
However, Labour’s Chris Hipkins is asking, “why not both?”
“Christopher Luxon could easily do both – go up to Waitangi and join in some of the celebrations in the lead-up to Waitangi Day and be part of the pōwhiri. He can then go and celebrate Waitangi Day elsewhere."
“This decision by Christopher Luxon shows that he is not willing to stand on his own track record, and defend the decisions his Government is making.
“That’s because despite all of his rhetoric, he knows his decisions have made life more difficult for Māori in New Zealand. He is running away from problems of his own creation.”
The last time Prime Minister who didn’t visit the grounds upon which Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed for the national day of commemoration was Bill English in 2017.
Earlier today, Waitangi National Trust chair Pita Tipene expressed disappointment at Luxon’s choice.
“For him not to come as the head of kāwanatanga is disappointing for me and disappointing for us."
Just yesterday, Tipene told RNZ the trust’s kaupapa saw Waitangi as ‘the enduring symbol of nationhood’ and he expected the prime minister to be there.
It follows a call from Eru Kapa-Kingi and Ngāhuia Harawira this morning for no government representatives to attend the Treaty Grounds for next year’s commemorations.
Speaking in their capacity as representatives of the Waitangi Forum - a separate entity to the Waitangi National Trust - the pair said there’s “absolutely no desire to welcome this anti-Māori government to our kaupapa, especially in the wake of its attempts to cancel Te Tiriti.”
They explained that during the hikoi, they specifically asked people - descendants of both He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti - whether they wanted a government presence at Waitangi.
However, Luxon’s office has confirmed other senior government officials will be in attendance.
Te Ao Māori News reached out to the Prime Minister’s office for a response to the Labour leader’s comments.
A spokesperson said the office had nothing more to add.
