Live updates from Waitangi: Luxon, Seymour on the reception to their speeches

The skies are clear and the mist is lifting on the Treaty Grounds as the biggest political day of the week gets underway. As I type, Tāme Iti is leading a hīkoi of 1,000 protesters in the form of experimental activism. Led by rangatahi carrying large white flags, wearing white and ringing a bell, protesters have been carrying blank canvases and chanting “honour the treaty” as they make their way from Te Tii Marae grounds to the Upper Treaty Grounds where they’ll be welcomed with a pōwhiri.

Waitangi Day is ultimately a day of gathering, kōrero and good food for thousands of Māori. While media (myself included) might focus on the political interactions throughout the week, the vast majority of those attending are regular New Zealanders marking a monumentous day in Aotearoa’s history.

If you’ve always been a bit overwhelmed by the scale of events surrounding Waitangi Day, and the Treaty itself, there are plenty of accessible resources to help you catch up.

• The Spinoff’s very own Te Tiriti reading (and watching and listening) guide
• The Treaty Principles (the ones Act is looking to rewrite), explained
• A look back at 10 particular memorable Waitangi weekends
• The Waitangi Tribunal (which NZ First is wanting to review), explained

And from this morning: If you receive the New Zealand Herald paper or The Post, you may have spotted a very large, multi-page advertisement in it last week. The “ad” was a reprint of Apirana Ngata’s Treaty explanation. Here’s a handy bit of context from expert Carwyn Jones as to why we shouldn’t take such writing at face value.

Bookmark them, read them on the bus, get acquainted, as these documents and concepts will come up again and again both today and throughout this year.

Senior Labour MP Peeni Henare (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine) has welcomed Tāme Iti and about 1,000 others onto the Upper Treaty Grounds, after a stirring artistic protest, soundscape and all. If you feel like you keep seeing Tāme Iti’s name around but aren’t sure what all he’s about, I’d recommend this beautiful journey through 50 years of his activism.

The government is not expected to arrive until 11am but I suspect this won’t be the last we see of those striking white flags.

After much chatter in the past few days about the new government, two ministers have made an early appearance on the Lower Treaty Grounds. Shane Jones (minister for regional development) and Tama Potaka (minister for Māori development) spoke at the forum tent about Māori development, work and infrastructure.

Jones spent a fair bit of time on his phone while Potaka answered questions about Māori initiatives in farming and environmentalism. When a question was raised about funding decisions and conflicts of interest (accusations of which Jones is no stranger to), he came alive and responded passionately.

“If you are a senior Māori minister and you are in charge of pūtea [money], you will be cursed by a conflict of interest.” He then suggested that if that was a concern for you, don’t get into politics. “That is the reality if you’re going to be a change agent and you’re going to seek to rattle the chains in political power. If you want to just coast along and be safe, you will have a long career. That’s my approach to politics – put it all on the line.”

Jones also railed against investigations into what he called “bullshit claims” before being – coincidentally – drowned out by a kapa haka on their way to prepare for the government pōwhiri at 11am.

On the topic of deep sea mining, which was raised by a concerned attendee, Jones insisted that mining was essential to not “be dependant on the likes of Russia or China” and that compromises are necessary for independence – compromises he was willing to make. “You won’t hear that from any politician in a Māori party, or a Pākehā one actually. And if you don’t like it, don’t vote for me.” His closing line was met with heckles of “easy” and “already don’t”. Potaka then took the mic and provided a lukewarm, neutral answer which was met with disappointed groans from the crowd.

While we await the government’s arrival at Waitangi, here’s a recap of the events and vibe of Sunday across the Treaty Grounds.

“With the government not yet on site, the mood at Waitangi – both at Te Tii and on the Treaty Grounds – was fun. Manus off the bridge, a mulleted boy belting out an impressive karaoke rendition of a Bon Jovi classic, cream pāua and rongoā Māori. Notable Waitangi protest group Ngā Tamatoa reunited as kaumātua to honour the late Moana Jackson and will be speaking today in the forum tent about mobilising and protest. A tauiwi collective gathered to discuss non-Māori modes of support. There was a sense of unity and alignment. And the alignment was in opposition to the new government, and more specifically, the policies put forward by Act and New Zealand First. In fact, Luxon and National were hardly, if at all, mentioned on the pae on Sunday. And Labour’s efforts over six years have been swiftly forgotten with the Treaty Principles Bill, the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora and the deprioritising of te reo Māori taking up all the space.”

Read the full report here.

Peeni Henare has given a strong “no disruptions” direction to the crowds gathered at the Treaty Grounds ahead of the government pōwhiri.

A second artistic protest has been set up to greet government officials, with dozens of attendees lining the cordon where they’ll walk, holding wooden segments with “toitū te Tiriti” painted on them. The movement has been organised by artists Hohepa Thompson (The Hori) and Te Kuru Dewes.

The participants make up the first line behind the cordon but many more are behind them, with hundreds of others already seated on the grass verges of te whare Rūranga where speakers will give their speeches.

Henare spoke to the crowds in English to ask that there be no disruptions during the pōwhiri, either as government officials walk through the crowds or when they speak on the pae. The Upper Treaty Grounds are usually not the setting for more disruptive protests at Waitangi, but even without overt action, the presence of much bigger crowds will surely be felt by manuhiri.

Members of the coalition government, including prime minister Christopher Luxon, deputy Winston Peters and Act leader David Seymour, have arrived at Waitangi.

The trio, followed by other senior members from the three coalition partners, have received a boisterous welcome from the large crowd in attendance. Protesters carrying placards are visible on either side of the arriving government representatives.

As Seymour stepped forward to accept the wero laid down by te hau kāinga, he was loudly booed.

This morning’s powhiri is the start of what’s set to be an eventful day at Waitangi. It’s expected the government will face intense challenges to their policies, particularly the Act-backed Treaty Principles Bill.

Bishop Te Kitohi Pikaahu kicked off the kōrero from the paepae, emphasising the importance of aroha and peace in today’s proceedings. The bishop acknowledged Act leader David Seymour, who was booed during the pōwhiri, as his whanaunga (relation), to laughs from the crowd.

Broadcaster Julian Wilcox (Ngāpuhi, Tūwharetoa) spoke next in a passionate address, during which he acknowledged every iwi present and welcomed government ministers. He directly addressed Seymour and “Uncle Shane” (NZ First’s Shane Jones), both of whom whakapapa to Te Tai Tokerau, inviting them to listen to the concerns raised today.

In a moment of killing with kindness, Kiingitanga representative Rahui Papa welcomed the government as an early speaker and reiterated Wilcox’s call to “attack evil with warmth” before adding, “and so I bid you welcome, welcome, welcome. The cup is fill with love in our hearts to see you in person.”

Papa then went on to speak in English, “the language that stole our land”.

“How many times has the prime minister has to respond to the same kōrero?” he asked. “We will say it again and again and again.”

Papa challenged the government to focus less on the truancy question (a nod Luxon’s much criticised decision to focus on education and truancy at Rātana instead of issues like Treaty principles and te reo Māori) and more on “systemic change that makes education sexy in Aotearoa” to big cheers and agreement from the crowd.

Turning his attention to Seymour, Papa suggested it would be “premature” to present Act registration papers to those present at Waitangi, before joking about Seymour’s Treaty Principles bill. “That is your view and we respect… that you have a view.

“If we extend the same time, energy and resource into honouring the treay then the discussion about the principles would be put aside.”

“The people here are here for their love of their land… but you did not see that they’re baring their teeth.” So said Ngāpuhi rangatira Hone Sadler as he addressed the government. He spoke of the warmth and love that has permeated proceedings here thus far, but gave a word of warning that Māori have grave concerns too.

“The desire for us to sit with you and the desire that you have heard is to leave politics to you but our hopes and dreams and needs are for you to empower us.”

“We do not want us to be divided,” he said. “However, in terms of the sacred agreements and in line with the aspirations of our ancestors, it’s that we will exercise our tino rangatiratanga and that you will assist us with that.”

“We have come here…the spiders, the lions of the beehive. Is this the face of a lion? Or of a spider? I am like…the feather of a hui bird. I pursued my ancestors who signed the treaty at Manawatū.”

National minister of Māori development Tama Potaka has opened the addresses from the government and called for ongoing discussions around the Treaty. “The government has arrived to sit and hold discussions. We must not leave those discussions on the pae, take them to the offices, take them to the councils,” he said. “It must not be left for one day or one week for the Treaty to be debated. He then compared to the treaty and any partnerships to his own marriage: “There are ups and downs.”

“I want to speak on the dreams looking to 2040,” he went on. “I can see at this time that each and every Māori are crying out for a debate. There is a knife in my back no matter where I go. However I want to bring forward the knife of love.” He reiterated what Henare had said earlier: “We are still alive.”

At the end of Potaka’s speech, a small group of protesters tried to approach the marae ātea, but kaumātua and Peeni Henare intercepted them.

Act’s Nicole McKee, who is Ngāpuhi, spoke in te reo next, saying, “We do not want to trample upon the Treaty, however we want to bring everyone as a part of it.”

She referred to the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, saying Act wanted to confirm what the principles were “in a humble manner”.

McKee denied her government was trampling on the mana of Te Tiriti, which led to heckling “E kī, e kī”, which can be translated as “you don’t say! or “really!”, and is an expression of surprise or anger at what has been said.

Singing of the Ngāpuhi waiata ‘Maranga Mai’ began before McKee could finish her kōrero. Tikanga dictates that once waiata begin, kōrero should end. The government then responded by singing He Hōnore, the planned waiata tautoko to comments from the crowd of “you should be ashamed of yourselves, the lot of you”.

Colleagues including Casey Costello and Brooke van Velden were seen comforting McKee, who appeared emotional.

NZ First’s Shane Jones spoke next, with a kōrero focusing on Ngāpuhi, whom he called the guardians of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and He Whakaputanga.

As he spoke a large haka ope arrived on the marae atea, with around 60 people performing. Jones welcomed them, inviting them close as the haka continued and joining in the chant.

He said that challenge was normal but he said he was hopeful of finding a solution for each and every whānau.

Hone Harawira, the Tai Tokerau activist and former MP, is now speaking, and he’s not mincing his words.

“You think it’s just a case of bringing in some legislation, to strip the treaty of its mana, to belittle the reo, by trying to make it a second-class language in our land? It ain’t gonna happen. You need to know that,” said the Mana Party founder and former Māori Party MP for Te Tai Tokerau.

“There are more important things to be doing if we want to build this nation than trying to muck around with the Treaty of Waitangi. Look for positivity in the development of iwi business making millions of dollars, and you want to gut the treaty in front of all these people? Hell no. Not only will we not stand for it, Shane Jones ain’t going to stand for it.

“Sorry, David. You’re on your own on this one, mate. You need to know. You and your shitty arse bill are going down the toilet.”

“Hold fast to your bloody land,” he continued. “Embrace, love and give value to our language.

“I promised to be nice. I hope I’ve met that standard.

“Prime Minister, I know you must be thinking to yourself: I can either come out hard against NZ First and Act, and make out like I’m not part of it. Or, I can just stand back and watch everyone beat the shit out of them. Congratulations for taking the second path, Mr Prime Minister.”

A protest group of about 50 people have converged upon Te Whare Rūnanga, interrupting proceedings ahead of David Seymour’s scheduled speech. The group, holding signs reading “Toitū te Tiriti”, was originally lined up along the cordon for the government’s pōwhiri.

During the first 90 minutes of speeches, the group stood silently, watching the big screen and awaiting the government speeches. Upon hearing that Seymour would be speaking next, the group moved forward, chanting “toitū te Tiriti” and then performing a Ka Mate haka alongside Ngāpuhi attendees.

Initially blocked from standing on the speaking ground, it was announced that the prime minister said to let them through. They finished their haka and departed. In the end, the next speaker was Winston Peters, who is now being heavily heckled.

Deputy prime minister Winston Peters has left the paepae after being drowned out by a chant of “e noho”.

“Who said we were getting rid of the Treaty of Waitangi? Stop the crap, stop the nonsense, stop the hysteria,” Peters said during his kōrero, asking the crowd if they remembered anything from yesterday.

After much heckling, Peters accused the crowd of wanting “separatism and division” which brought on a chant of “e noho, e noho”. Eventually the chant drowned out Peters’ speech.

He soon sat down, having noted already that his speech would be short as he needed to meet a group of travelling ambassadors, but not before attempting to get the final word: “Let me tell you, Sunshine. I used to go to the marae when they had a thing called tikanga and protocol and respect … Get an education. Get some manners.”

Ngā Tamatoa activist Annette Sykes delivered a challenging speech to government officials ahead of the final government speeches from David Seymour and Christopher Luxon.

First she spoke to Seymour: “David Seymour, I want to talk to you from my Pākehā whakapapa, not my Māori one. My father was a staunch Catholic. He would never tinker with the testament of the bible. The 10 commandments are what he lived by. He would never presume the audacity he had the ability to do that.”

She then went on, “but you Mr Seymour, who doesn’t speak Māori and has had to let a woman speak today. You are putting forward a rewrite of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. You do it behind closed doors. Thank goodness. Who is the hero that leaked the document from the Ministry of Justice?” She then suggested whoever it was should get a job with the iwi who have lots of money.

And as for the wider government, Sykes had strong words of warning. “Your lies will be exposed,” she said to Luxon. “You’re not off the hook, prime minister. I actually have real respect for Winston. I think he only went in for power. Men do that a lot. But why would someone who wants to be the leader of a national permit the tail to wag the dog?

Sykes finished with chants of “Ka whawhai tonu mātou”, to which the crowd responds “ake, ake, ake”.

Act leader David Seymour has had his speech at Waitangi drowned out by a loud waiata.

Seymour used his address to criticise those who had taken aim at Act MP Nicole McKee earlier in the day.

“I heard that it’s somehow a deficient for me to rely on a woman to do the job. Sorry what century was that said in? I watched a woman practice day after day… so she could come to this special place and give a speech,” said Seymour. “We need to start talking about ideas and stop attacking people. It’s got to be a debate based on respect.” Seymour was booed loudly after this comment.

Referencing earlier comments by outgoing Labour MP Kelvin Davis, Seymour said: “Not even Donald Trump is calling his opponents insects yet. If you want to attack the ideas that’s great.” He then responded to remarks by Labour’s Peeni Henare, who referenced a “figurative gun” during his Waitangi address. “I should say to Peeni Henare, Māori should know better than anyone, you cannot kill ideas with a gun,” Seymour said.

Turning to the topic of charter schools, Seymour said these were never just a partnership with Māori. “It was partnership with many Māori… it was also partnership with the Pasifika community, partnership with community groups that have no ethnic background.”

At this point, a loud waiata broke out, drowning out Seymour who continued to speak as loudly as he could.

Seymour ended by saying: “See you next year, can’t wait for this debate to continue”.

The crowd has been threatened with not hearing a speech from the prime minister after protesters sang over Seymour’s speech. Silence has been called for and promised throughout Luxon’s upcoming speech, “no matter what is said”.

Prime minister Christopher Luxon has addressed those gathered at Waitangi, saying he wants te ao Māori to thrive.

“When Māori do well, we all know it, New Zealand does well,” Luxon said.

After what has been a spirited and highly politicised day, Luxon’s speech was comparatively subdued. He opted to speak entirely from notes, keeping his voice level and arguably too quiet (I had to turn up the volume of the livestream) compared with other speakers like Shane Jones. The speech was also quite broad and largely avoided the government’s policies pertaining to Te Tiriti and te reo  – again in contrast to other speakers.

While other speakers were booed or drowned out by song, Luxon’s speech was received with mild chatter from those in attendance.

“Imagine a New Zealand where te aō Māori is flourishing, where the enduring relationship between the Crown and iwi improves services and outcomes for tangata whenua, where Treaty settlements have all been completed, and some of New Zealand’s most successful enterprises nationally and internationally are iwi businesses who are using their profits to invest in their people, their rohe, and more business growth,” said Luxon.

“Well, I don’t just imagine these things. I am leading a government that is determined to achieve this 2040 vision. I want to see us get our mojo back – a much more confident, positive and ambitious New Zealand. But we will only do it with everyone stepping up and pitching in together.”

Luxon name-dropped policy pillars that were key to his election campaign, such as law and order, health and education. “I’ve spoken a lot about education since becoming leader of the National Party and I will continue to do so, because it is the thing that worries me the most. How can a first-world country have 55% of our kids not attending school regularly and our children not knowing the basics well? It’s a future moral and economic disaster,” said Luxon.

“So, our government will do its part by backing our kaupapa Māori education system, reintroducing partnership schools, investing in structured literacy, teaching the basics well, and setting clear targets focussed on attendance and achievement so that our kids can have the futures they all deserve.”

Christopher Luxon has responded to criticism that his address at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds today was too soft.

The prime minister largely avoided speaking about issues concerning Māori, including tensions over the proposed Treaty Principles Bill, during his pre-written speech. Where other speakers from the coalition government, like Winston Peters and David Seymour, were booed and drowned out by attendees, Luxon’s speech was received with just light muttering.

“Today was a day where I felt formal remarks was a good thing,” Luxon told reporters when asked about his decision to read a pre-written speech.

On his decision to ignore discussing the Treaty in depth, Luxon said he did speak about it. “Today was a day when I was tasked with talking about our vision for 2040 and what we’re doing in our first term and that’s what I did,” he said.

Asked about the heavily political speeches by Peters and Seymour, the prime minister said that the leaders of New Zealand First and Act were free to speak “as they wish”.

“They were there speaking as they were invited to do so,” Luxon said. “We’re in a coalition government, we don’t sound the same… we won’t be the same and we will say things differently.”

Speaking to media at Waitangi today, Act leader David Seymour said the people who interrupted his speech were a “small minority” who weren’t mana whenua. Seymour’s speech was drowned out with a rousing waiata.

“I delivered the message I came to deliver and a small minority of people misbehaved and were offensive to tikanga. But overwhelmingly it was a positive exchange of ideas.”

On hearing that Waitangi National Trust Board Pita Tipene had offered an apology to him for the reception he received, Seymour said, “Pita’s always been a very honourable man. I’m grateful to hear that, it was a very small portion of people who aren’t mana whenua here who were interrupting… the real hosts were sitting and listening very respectfully.

“There were people who came up to me afterwards who said, ‘look, that was pretty fiery but good on you, you may have more support than you think,'” he added.

He rejected claims the government was taking away people’s Māoritanga, saying it was in fact devolving decision-making power to Māori. He said the Act Party had a “long history” of allowing people to self-determine. “We believe in tino rangatiratanga, perhaps more sincerely than anyone.”

NZ First’s Shane Jones was not surprised by the heckling his leader Winston Peters received at Waitangi, he told media this afternoon. 

On being asked about Peters telling hecklers to “get an education”, he said, “I think both Winston and I know, people have pent-up emotions … people are on edge.

“Respect goes two ways and Winston has a long-established history of fighting and delivering [for Māori] … I think that’s what he was responding to.”

He said he thought the crowd were “unnecessarily rude” to Act’s Nicole McKee.”But hey, young people, I was young once, out in the hot sun you can get carried away.”

Jones defended the speech of prime minister Christopher Luxon, saying “I didn’t think it was off-colour at all.” When asked about Luxon reading from cue cards, he said not everyone had the same gifts of oratory.