Ardern ‘totally open’ to going to Te Tii marae
WAITANGI: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she is ‘‘totally open’’ to going to Te Tii marae next year.
Speaking on the treaty grounds after the dawn service, Ms Ardern said she would be guided by the Waitangi Trust, ‘‘on behalf of all parliamentarians’’.
‘‘One of the things I think we’ve all enjoyed is the fact that when we come on to the upper marae we do it as MPs together, so not that party political approach and I think that’s a good thing.’’
Since Ms Ardern has been prime minister, she has not been welcomed on to Te Tii marae. In 2016 then prime minister, National’s John Key, refused to go on at the last minute, after questions about whether he would be welcome and able to speak. He said at the time he would only attend under ‘‘conditions of equity and fairness’’, and he did not return for the remainder of his tenure.
Ms Ardern has attended Waitangi each year but all of the formal events have been at the marae on the treaty grounds. Labour’s Maori MPs were welcomed on to Te Tii marae for the first time in four years to fulfil the wish of the late and staunch Labour supporter Rudy Taylor. However, a question of whether they will be able to return remains.
If she did go on to Te Tii, any decision about whether she would take daughter Neve would be ‘‘like every other parent, whether or not Neve comes with me is often down to what the sleep routine is at that time’’.
The dawn service at Te Whare Runanga at Waitangi was noticeably smaller than usual due to Covid, with 20003000 people present.
There was a sense of ‘‘raw optimism’’ at Waitangi, she said, about what the Crown and iwi could achieve together.
Speaking to RNZ, she said her change in language from ‘‘transformational’’ to ‘‘foundational’’ change was not an attempt to dampen expectations about improving life for Maori.
‘‘For me it was not a switch.
All of the issues that we have always talked about were still present in my speech; housing, unemployment, issues with our justice system — all still there.
‘‘For me it was just acknowledging that some of the works we are doing about policies in a moment in time, they’re about things that can create longterm change and lay the foundations for the next generation to really have a start in understanding our relationship and understanding the treaty which perhaps some of us didn’t have,’’ she said.
Ms Ardern said she had never lost her ambition, despite how big the challenges were.
‘‘The clouds, the things that hang over, those things are still there. I do not for a moment shy away from the need to continue to progress . . . equally for us it is not sufficient, we must keep going.’’
On housing, she said she had spoken with iwi leaders about the potential to partner with the
Crown, which has the access to the infrastructure that would be needed.
‘‘How do we find in those high needs areas that arrangement where we can make the use of Maori land where it is available and where it is on offer to partner with the Crown to provide housing in highneed areas for whanau?’’ she asked.
National leader Judith Collins was among the dignatories at Saturday morning’s dawn service.
One of the announcements from Ms Ardern before Waitangi Day was to smooth the way for Maori wards in local councils. Ms Collins said the National caucus had not yet had the chance to discuss it and form a position.
But if legislation was passed under urgency, National would oppose it.
‘‘We’re concerned about any changes to local democracy without those going to the people themselves to look at . . . the Government did not campaign on this at the last election.
‘‘If it’s in urgency we will definitely not support it. It is the wrong thing to do . . . it’s a quasi constitutional issue,’’ Ms Collins said.
Meanwhile, Ms Ardern has poured cold water on the suggestion New Zealand First leader and former deputy prime minister Winston Peters could be the next governorgeneral.
Mr Peters, who usually has a prominent presence at Waitangi celebrations, has kept a very low public profile since his election loss last year.
When Ms Ardern was asked if she would endorse him as governorgeneral, she said it was her view that the position should not be held by past politicians.
‘‘It has only happened once in our history and at the time it was quite controversial. I’d rather remove that controversy and there is any number of fabulous candidates.’’ — RNZ