Waitangi dissidents are denied the chance to chuck mud (or t-shirts) at Luxon next year – but his February 7 plans stay secret
Will he be there – or won’t he?
That was the question raised earlier this week when Prime Minister Christopher Luxon would not confirm whether he will attend Waitangi Day commemorations at Waitangi next year.
He said he had received “a number of invitations”, but had not yet made a decision.
Today he answered the question (no, he won’t be there) but left us asking another question: where will he be?
He announced:
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere.
Luxon will not attend the National Iwi Chairs Forum in Waitangi on February 4, either, but today he met with Iwi Leaders in Wellington.
Details of where the Prime Minister will spend Waitangi Day will be announced closer to the time.
We can only conjecture on how Luxon would be greeted if he did go to Waitangi, but it’s a fair bet someone would pop up to demonstrate their disdain for basic courtesies and an ambition to grab a media headline.
A T-shirt was thrown at Queen Elizabeth II in 1990, Prime Minister Helen Clark was reduced to tears by a confrontational Titewhai Harawira in 1998 and National Party leader Don Brash had mud thrown at him in 2004.
Luxon’s statement has been posted on the government’s official website along with other statements which tell us …
Today he answered the question (no, he won’t be there) but left us asking another question: where will he be?
He announced:
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere.
Luxon will not attend the National Iwi Chairs Forum in Waitangi on February 4, either, but today he met with Iwi Leaders in Wellington.
Details of where the Prime Minister will spend Waitangi Day will be announced closer to the time.
We can only conjecture on how Luxon would be greeted if he did go to Waitangi, but it’s a fair bet someone would pop up to demonstrate their disdain for basic courtesies and an ambition to grab a media headline.
A T-shirt was thrown at Queen Elizabeth II in 1990, Prime Minister Helen Clark was reduced to tears by a confrontational Titewhai Harawira in 1998 and National Party leader Don Brash had mud thrown at him in 2004.
Luxon’s statement has been posted on the government’s official website along with other statements which tell us …
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- How freedom-of-speech obligations will be strengthened in universities;
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- Which creatures (if they are not bumped off to provide us with Christmas dinners) will benefit from new biosecurity funding of $20 million;
- Who has been appointed to the board of Education New Zealand.
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When Christopher Luxon was asked earlier in the week about his Waitangi Day intentions, he said he had received “a number of invitations”, but had not yet made a decision.
Today he said:
“It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different iwi.
“I have been in Waitangi the last two years, including in my first year as Prime Minister, so next year I have decided to head to another part of the country.
“Waitangi Day is of national importance, and I am keen to join New Zealanders celebrating it in other regions.”
Could he not have said that earlier in the week?
Elaborating on his meeting with Iwi Leaders in Wellington earlier today, he said:
“It was a very positive and productive discussion. There are a number of areas where the Government and Māori are already working together, for example in health, housing, infrastructure and climate adaptation.
“There is a lot of great work being done by iwi throughout the country and there are many opportunities for us to work together and do so much more.”
Then he said that in the past year the Government has:
- Partnered with Māori organisations, including Whanau Ora, to deliver more than 69,000 vaccinations as part of the Immunising our Tamariki programme.
- Included 20 significant Iwi or Māori led or partnered projects on the Fast Track list.
- Invested $82 million into Māori Housing providers to build 198 new houses.
- Invested $35 million to help deliver 100 affordable rental homes in partnership with Waikato-Tainui.
- Advanced eight Treaty settlements.
- Invested more than $25 million into significant sites – Parihaka, Rātana and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.
- Returned the Kaitaia Airport to Ngāi Takoto and Ngāti Kahu hapū.
The Justice Committee plans to hear submissions in the week starting Monday, January 27 and through February.
Act leader David Seymour — the architect of the Bill — has confirmed he will attend the commemorations in Waitangi.
Luxon recalled that former Prime Minister Bill English had visited Ngāti Whātua instead of Waitangi on Waitangi Day, and thought that was a “really good example”.
Former Prime Ministers Sir John Key and Helen Clark have also decided to stay away from Waitangi and Te Tii marae in the past over issues around speaking rights.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
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