Waitangi Analysis: Thousands Predicted To Descend On Political Talks Never Arrived

Wednesday, 5 February 2025, 8:15 pm
Article: RNZ

Jo Moir, Political Editor

The thousands predicted to descend on the Waitangi political talks on Wednesday never arrived.

While Dame Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi's tangihanga and the Prime Minister's absence contributed, there was also a snubbing by some because of the way the national trust and Ngāpuhi chose to run the pōwhiri.

Meetings were held and plans were changed right up until the moment politicians walked onto the treaty grounds to receive the challenge on Wednesday morning.

That was the moment Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson, who had deliberately chosen Waitangi as her return to politics following breast cancer treatment, was told she would not be speaking from the mahau (porch) as earlier agreed to.

Davidson had prepared a Kōrero she never got to deliver - instead having to share her message for the nation with media immediately after the official proceedings.

Many attending Waitangi with plans to send a strong message to the coalition government were understood to be frustrated by the organisers in the lead-up to this week.

It's the trust and Ngāpuhi that determines the tikanga and order of the day, and this year it opted for just two speakers from the home side - an opening and closing address.

It was a stark contrast to last year when the paepae was opened up to iwi and protest leaders, none of whom held back on Christopher Luxon and ACT leader David Seymour.

It meant the pōwhiri was wrapped up at least an hour earlier this year - even with the interjections and microphone removals led by Toitū Te Tiriti protesters.

It was Ngātiwai chairperson and Toitū Te Tiriti follower Aperahama Edwards who was given the first address on the paepae, which was relatively calm in its delivery compared to some of the kōrero this time a year ago.

However, it was also Edwards who approached the manuhiri (visitors) and took the microphone from Seymour while he was speaking - a more unusual act of protest that was not appreciated by some of the trustees and Ngāpuhi representatives sat next to him.

The scaling back of pōwhiri proceedings might have left some feeling underwhelmed, yet on the manuhiri side the microphone stealing in particular enraged New Zealand First's Shane Jones enough for him to threaten reconsidering funding the national trust in the future.

Any suggestion that might be followed through on, however, was immediately shut down by both National and ACT.

The protest element - the turning of backs, jeering, and microphone disappearing act - were not unexpected.

Seymour had even preempted it by wearing his own microphone, allowing him to continue to broadcast to those following the powhiri on ACT's social media.

In his mind he still got his message out, even if he was preaching to the converted.

The trust is responsible and accountable for what takes place at the pōwhiri since the political talks were taken from Te Tii Marae in 2018 and moved to the more politically neutral upper treaty grounds.

Last year, before Luxon announced he would not be travelling to Waitangi, there were trustees predicting 10s of thousands would arrive on 5 February and concern about how the crowds would be managed.

That never transpired despite the momentum created by the hīkoi to Parliament - a collective 42,000 New Zealanders marching to Wellington to protest the coalition's policies and commitments.

The Toitū Te Tiriti protesters arrived on Wednesday but they only numbered around 100.

Some spoken to by RNZ speculated the Treaty Principles Bill coming to a natural end in a few months' time may have taken some of the oxygen out of this year's political day.

It was also possible some of those galvanised by the hīkoi movement returned home and have instead regrouped with their own hapū and iwi to determine how they challenge the government into the future, sparing themselves the trek to Northland when news broke the prime minister was not showing face.

The police presence in Paihia was significant this year and most political leaders have some form of security nearby given the heightened tensions leading up to Waitangi week.

In the end it was unnecessary and at no point on Wednesday were politicians intimidated or made to feel unsafe.

But that should not have been surprising either given the peaceful nature of last year's hīkoi.

While those who chose to stay away and those who came and protested anyway may have felt let down by the lack of criticism directed at the government in the Kōrero from the paepae, the message of ongoing hurt and anger was still on full display.

Back turning and silent protest, even on a small scale, proved just as powerful on the day.

© Scoop Media

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