Peters steps up to the plate at Ratana

And they’re off . . The political year officially began yesterday as politicians in their droves made the pilgrimage to Ra¯ tana Pa in Rangitikei.

The week-long celebrations for the prophet T W Ra¯ tana’s birthday usually features a day of promises for the year ahead, with the prime minister and leader of the Opposition each laying out how they will help Ma¯ ori in the year ahead.

But this year the prime minister is about as far as you can get from Ra¯ tana as possible – both physically and fiscally – at the ritzy talkfest World Economic Forum in a luxury ski town in Switzerland. That leaves Winston Peters as acting prime minister – and responsible for the whole Government.

That responsibility became apparent as soon as he arrived in

Ra¯ tana late yesterday morning.

He soon tired of questions about Jacinda Ardern’s absence, saying the Mo¯ rehu community at Ra¯ tana would totally understand the scheduling clash. He became particularly bitter when reminded just how much he criticised former prime minister John Key for missing the same commemoration for the exact same reason in 2015.

Peters never likes to leave journalists with the last word so had to be hurried along by Ra¯ tana authorities, who assured him they had done the same thing to Key in his time.

And it wasn’t just the media on the offensive. As Peters and his contingent of two other NZ First MPs, four Green MPs, and two dozen Labour MPs were welcomed in a po¯ whiri, Ra¯ tana’s Joe Everett launched a broadside against the Government – notably in English, ‘‘so everyone can understand’’.

The issue was not one of the ones James Shaw mentioned in his speech – housing, education or water. It wasn’t poverty, criminal justice policy or medical marijuana.

It was the fee that marriage celebrants have to pay the Government to practise – the kind of issue that is a very big deal for a small group of people, and a very small deal for everyone else.