February 08, 2016
Prime Minister should have fronted up to Dawn Service
Politicians and Ngapuhi elders are continuing to debate the implications of the Prime Minister’s refusal to attend Waitangi Day commemorations in the Bay of Islands.
John Key cancelled his trip north after trustees at Te Tii Marae set conditions on his speech.
Ngapuhi kaumatua Rihari Dargaville says the marae was right to insist that if he wanted to talk about the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement he should do it in the speaker’s tent after the welcome, and allow others a right of reply.
But Labour leader Andrew Little says while the PM was being mucked around by marae, he should still have gone to Waitangi, even if that meant bypassing the marae.
"It is the day we celebrate the great treaty the great agreement the coming together of the crown and Maori people and we should expect our head of government to be there. No matter how difficult he had over whether he's going to be at or could speak at or could speak politically at Te Tii, at the very least in my view he should have been at the dawn service and done what we would expect our head of government to do." says Andrew Little.
Former Labour MP Shane Jones is also supporting calls for the powhiri to be shifted to the Treaty Grounds.
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