The right to speak freely

Bill English is right to turn down the invitation to go to Waitangi for Waitangi Day. It is not acceptable to ask the country’s leader to such an event and then ban him from speaking. This is a simple matter of good manners as well as fundamental democratic rights. Ngapuhi leader Kingi Taurua typically mixed bad temper and incoherence in responding to English’s refusal. If the prime minister did not attend, he had no right to talk about the Treaty of Waitangi, Taurua claimed. ‘‘Whatever the prime minister thinks, I don’t give a damn. All I am there for is to commemorate the signatories . . . if Bill English has no commitment to that, then don’t talk about the Treaty of Waitangi ever again.’’

This is petulant and silly and it’s difficult to say what Taurua meant. But banning the prime minister from speaking and commanding him never to speak of the Treaty again is high-handed and rude.

Last year Taurua called for English’s predecessor, John Key, to be banned from Te Tii marae, changed his tune later and said he thought the PM should be welcomed. Taurua needs to make up his mind.

The meeting at Waitangi is the ideal time to talk about the Treaty, and there is absolutely no reason why it has to be an exchange of platitudes and pleasantries. Both sides are entitled to say what they like and how they like.

Ngapuhi can tell the Government exactly what it thinks about Treaty matters, and it needn’t be mealy-mouthed. By the same token it must allow the Government the right to reply in just as blunt a manner.

Over the years there have been many harsh words spoken in the North on our national day. How could it have been otherwise? The Treaty has rightly been the flashpoint for race relations for decades, and there has been no more vital policy for our future peace and prosperity than the Treaty settlement process.

Contrary to what English seems to be implying, the issue of Treaty settlements is not finished and it’s not true that protest at Waitangi is now irrelevant. Much progress has been made. But there are still enormous gaps in prosperity and ordinary life chances between the two Treaty partners.

In some ways this suggests that the Treaty settlement process, which is essentially a backward-looking process, cannot itself bridge those gaps. Other policy answers are needed, and these now centre on other issues such as social and education policy.

Here, there is a vast amount of argument to be had. It is striking, for instance, that some Maori leaders are enthusiastic supporters of charter schools, while many Pakeha liberals bitterly oppose them. That argument shows no signs of going away.

Of course many voters agree with English (and Key) in wanting to make the national day a source of pride and satisfaction. At the same time the national day should also be a time for a spirited talk about what the nation is and what it seeks to achieve for all its peoples. So Waitangi Day can mix both debate and celebration.

Banning the prime minister from speaking and commanding him never to speak of the Treaty again is high-handed and rude.