With the treaty principles bill gone but its legacy unresolved, today’s pōwhiri will be a test of the PM’s ability to rebuild a fractured relationship, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin.
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Unity, ceremony, scrutiny
The political year has opened at Waitangi this week with a familiar mix of symbolism and positioning as the parties look towards November. On Tuesday, the leaders of Labour and the Greens staged a joint media conference at the Treaty Grounds, creating a pointed show of unity meant to contrast with a coalition government they described as internally fractious and antagonistic on Treaty issues. Wednesday was dominated by the Iwi Chairs Forum, which the prime minister attended, and the arrival of representatives from kīngitanga, including Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, the Māori queen.
That set the scene for today’s parliamentary pōwhiri – and a “peaceful, non-violent” protest against some of its participants. 1News reports that an “activation” is planned to block government MPs and Christopher Luxon from reaching Te Whare Rūnanga. “This government has been overtly anti-Māori, the worst in decades, and we cannot allow their term to end without challenge,” the organisers’ social media post reads. Participants in the non-violent action will link arms to stop the coalition gaining access, but Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori will be allowed to pass through.
Luxon returns to the paepae
All eyes will be on Luxon as he addresses that pōwhiri, returning to Waitangi after staying away last year during the upheaval over David Seymour’s treaty principles bill. Although that legislation is now dead, suspicion lingers. Writing in Newsroom, Marc Daalder argues the damage done to the Māori–Crown relationship has not healed – and the PM’s refusal to acknowledge the hurt is only making things worse: “Luxon, by insisting that the Government is backing Māori, not undermining them, has ensured no real effort will go towards rebuilding that relationship.”
While it’s likely that David Seymour and Shane Jones will experience the strongest pushback today, Luxon will still face some heat – and not just from the protestors. Writes Daalder: “He may be viewed as an opportunist who skipped Waitangi when the going got tough” and worse, a leader reluctant to lead when it mattered most, giving near-free rein to his most hardline ministers and their Treaty-sceptical agendas.
Looking back, looking forward
That unease is sharpened by the wider political context. As Adam Pearse observes in the Herald (paywalled), Luxon stood at Waitangi in 2024 promising a “relentless” focus on fixing the economy. Two years on, cost-of-living pressures are unresolved and growth remains elusive. “Without an economy that’s back on track, Luxon’s visit to the Treaty grounds appears just as challenging as the last”, Pearse writes.
The parties themselves are also grappling with the gap between what they promised last time at Waitangi and what they actually did. Writing in The Spinoff this morning, Liam Rātana looks at the leaders’ pledges and policies in 2025 and whether those promises have endured into 2026. What has not altered is the centrality of Waitangi, especially in an election year. As Rātana concludes, Waitangi “is where politicians say what they mean – or at least what they want to be heard saying. It is where Māori remind the Crown that memory is not optional, and that promises do not dissolve just because the calendar turns.”
Waitangi 2026 on The Spinoff
For those following the action in Northland, a packed four days of Spinoff content await. Starting around 10am today, our live updates will feature on-the-ground reporting and the odd bit of gossip from Liam Rātana and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith. On Waitangi Day, look out for a report on today’s political developments plus the now-traditional celebration of freshest fits of Waitangi 2026 – check out 2024 and 2025 for a reminder of the best styles of recent years. There’ll be more coverage throughout the weekend, so be sure to stick around.
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