Ardern enjoys Waitangi’s new look
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s five days at Waitangi almost wrapped up without a single protest.
Just as she finished her walkabout of the Treaty grounds, Nga¯puhi elder Kingi Taurua and about a dozen others led a hikoi onto the marae where a church service was taking place.
Ardern wasn’t at the service and Taurua – who was opposed to the events of the last two days being shifted away from Te Tii marae – was arrested and taken away by police.
Labour MP Willow-Jean Prime, of Nga¯puhi, could be seen trying to calm Taurua as police tried to remove him.
It’s understood Taurua was protesting that the Government hadn’t listened to all Ma¯ori and should have visited Te Tii.
Ardern said she would have been ‘‘more than happy to talk to anyone at anytime’’ over the last five days.
‘‘I tried to be as available as possible. The decision was made by those working on Waitangi Day commemorations that the upper marae would be used, that certainly doesn’t mean I wasn’t available to speak to those from Te Tii.
‘‘In fact, I sat on Ka¯retu Marae with Kingi on Saturday,’’ she said.
Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little said Taurua was on the paepae at the po¯whiri yesterday and met the prime minister while she was at Waitangi.
‘‘Kingi Taurua is a well-known personality with very strong views and he enjoys expressing them,’’ Little said.
‘‘I can’t explain why he didn’t take the opportunities he had when he met with the prime minister personally, to express whatever views he wanted to express on this occasion.
‘‘In the end I think the overwhelming impression of this weekend is people were looking for something new ... and we’ve kind of seen that.’’
Earlier in the day Ardern and members of her new Government put on a breakfast barbecue for about 800 people.
Ardern’s time in the North has seen her attend the Iwi Chairs Forum, visit local marae and schools, meet a number of community groups, be the first female prime minister to speak during the po¯whiri at Waitangi and a dawn service with no protest.
At the breakfast, which the Government had catered for 400 people to attend but the numbers far exceeded, Ardern apologised and said next time ‘‘we’ll cater properly for Nga¯puhi appetites’’.
When her colleagues Peeni Henare and Kelvin Davis told her it was tradition to do a breakfast after the service, they said it was usually held at the Copthorne Hotel for a select group of people.
Ardern told the crowd, ‘‘I said nah, we’re having bacon butties’’.
‘‘We didn’t want walls ... we think this is a way to show in a really physical way that our job is service,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s been a wonderful weekend, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.’’
Speaking to media afterwards, Ardern said she felt like the Government had ‘‘benefited from the hospitality of Nga¯puhi and Te Tai Tokerau, which I know was their ambition’’.
‘‘I wouldn’t say I’ve changed the game. I think Nga¯puhi have changed the game up here. The hospitality we’ve experienced and the work that has gone into deciding how the commemorations will be held has made a huge difference.
‘‘For the parts we had a role to play in we did want to do things differently – the barbecue was part of that. It was about spending more time with the people who took the time to be here on Waitangi Day.’’
She said the alternative was holding a private breakfast with iwi leaders and she felt they had spent a lot of time meeting them and yesterday was an opportunity to meet the public.
‘‘Today felt like the day we could spend with the members of the community, that, and I prefer bacon butties over formal breakfast anyway.’’
At the po¯whiri on Monday an offer was made to Ardern and her partner, Clarke Gayford, for their baby’s placenta to be buried at the Treaty grounds.
This came on the back of a number of Ma¯ori name suggestions for the child from various iwi.
Ardern said she had briefly spoken with Gayford about it and they both felt ‘‘very humbled by the offer’’.
‘‘It felt like something quite spontaneous in that moment. Because we’re so humbled by it it’s likely something we’ll talk with the iwi here about going forward. But if we do do that I imagine we’ll probably keep it to quite a private thing,’’ she said.
While Ardern said baby names and burying the placenta was per- sonal, she hadn’t been overwhelmed by any pressure.
‘‘When it comes to pressure nothing is ever going to outweigh the pressure of running a country.’’
Speaking after the dawn service, National Party MP Steven Joyce said it was quite similar to past years but over the last two days it’s been ‘‘a big step up in terms of the unity and the way the whole celebration has been run. I think it’s good for the country, it’s definitely good for Nga¯puhi, and it’s good for the north’’.
Joyce said it was important for National to be represented at Waitangi, but also in other places around the country – leader Bill English was in Bluff for Waitangi Day. ‘‘I like to be here, I don’t come every year, but I like to come to Waitangi regularly.’’
Green Party leader James Shaw said the dawn service had a ‘‘different feel to it to last year, which was building on the massive shift we had yesterday on the tone at Waitangi’’.
‘‘I think personally this is one of the greatest privileges of my job, I love this. It’s an incredible setting and the one time we actually think about who we are and where we come from and to me that’s really important.’’
Labour’s Wha¯nau Ora Minister Peeni Henare, who was one of the main organisers of the events at Waitangi, said he had expected protest but was pleased it had not come to fruition.
‘‘Since the beginning it’s been challenging, it’s been exciting, we’ve been rather nervous, but for the most part it’s been a huge success.’’
The dawn service at Waitangi attracted close to 1000 people and all the political leaders and a number of dignitaries and religious leaders were all invited to make a prayer during it.
Nga¯puhi leader Sonny Tau wrapped up proceedings saying the country was young and now there was a young prime minister as well. ‘‘According to her words the last few days, that combination is going to be dynamite.’’