After news broke of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon planning on spending Waitangi with another iwi, Waitangi National Trust chair Pita Tipene said it was disappointing.
“I don’t think the head of government, the prime minister, can not come to Waitangi, where [the treaty] was first signed.”
He added that Te Tiriti o Waitangi being about two partners, rangatiratanga and kāwanatanga, as the head of kāwanatanga he should be there.
“I was encouraging him to come because the Waitangi National Trust, we uphold our tikanga and our manaakitanga and we welcome all to come to Waitangi, of all political scopes, of all opinions, and that includes the Prime Minister.
“For him not to come as the head of kāwanatanga is disappointing for me and disappointing for us.
“I understand why he is going elsewhere but that doesn’t lessen my disappointment.”
He does believe Luxon will be missed being on the ground next year.
“At a time where tensions are heightened and [with] the Treaty Principles Bill and a whole lot of other kaupapa being driven by the government, Waitangi Day is the day we should be talking about these things and trying to find solutions to them,” Tipene told Te Ao Māori News.
Te Tari Pirimia / the Prime Minister’s Office said Luxon called Tipene to let him know and offered his best wishes for the event.
The last time the head of Aotearoa skipped Waitangi commemorations on the ground was the last National Party Prime Minister Bill English in his first and final year.
He instead went to Ōrākei Marae and Hoani Waititi Marae in Tāmaki Makaurau to celebrate the day.
Earlier today, Eru Kapa-Kingi and Ngāhuia Harawira called for no government representatives to attend next year’s commemorations at the Treaty Grounds - a stance the Waitangi National Trust chair disagrees with.
“We are Māori people, we welcome all onto our marae, as I say, despite their political affiliations and their opinions, we welcome them all.”
He mentioned the history of the grounds and how te whare rūnanga was opened on February 6, 1940 commissioned by Tau Henare and Tā Āpirana Ngata.
“[They] made it very very clear that they were constructing that whare to represent all iwi of the motu and to ensure an ongoing conversation.
“[With] the Prime Minister not coming it really lessens the kaupapa that was established by those kaumātua.”
