No political winners in a bungled, scandalised Waitangi week

2026-02-06 - 16:08

Analysis: Northland has had a good look this Waitangi week at the parties which will be vying for its votes in November and it’s hard to imagine any have left a stellar impression. The stated theme of the week was “Mō tātou, mā tātou” – for all of us, by all of us. Politicians spoke of kotahitanga, or unity. Perhaps the best known whakataukī that speaks of this, and one favoured by politicians, is He waka eke noa – we’re all in the same boat. It’s a fitting whakataukī for Waitangi in particular, where commemorations are marked with the paddling of Ngātokimatawhaorua, the world’s largest ceremonial waka. But those who watched this week’s activities closely will be forgiven for thinking that, if we are all in the same boat, it’s a sinking one. The week started off with the announcement by Labour MP Peeni Henare that he would be leaving politics before the election. Henare had asked Labour leader Chris Hipkins to let him reveal his decision at Waitangi, when he could mark the occasion with his Ngāpuhi whānau. That put Hipkins in a difficult position when he was asked about Henare’s leaving a few hours before the formal announcement. The Labour leader stumbled, refusing to answer whether Henare had his backing to run again in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate (implying, to some, that he didn’t have confidence in Henare). Only after Henare’s official announcement landed could Hipkins begin to clear the air. By then, it was too late. The bungled announcement had sparked up rumours about wrongdoing by either Henare or Labour, spruiked by NZ First’s Shane Jones who said he would learn “the whole story” from the “kumara vine”. What was meant to be a life-altering decision made in the embrace of whānau turned into a mess with a hint of something darker. Retiring Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe, who similarly made his announcement ahead of Rātana celebrations in January, received aroha on the paepae from speakers at his marae. Henare got supportive comments as well, but had to watch as some speakers turned their ire on Labour for letting him down. Jones, too, took the opportunity to have another dig, telling Henare during his kōrero that “You’re not the first Maori from Tai Tokerau to leave the Labour Party, bro”. That got a laugh from the crowd, but would have prompted a cringe from Henare who (unlike Jones) has made clear he is sticking with the Labour whānau. All that has left Labour with a (repairable) breach to its valuable relationship with Ngāpuhi and the rest of Te Tai Tokerau. That doesn’t mean, however, that Māori will flock to the other traditional contender in the seat. Te Pāti Māori has botched its own hononga (connection) with Ngāpuhi and the north to a far greater degree than Labour has. The ongoing saga over Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi saw yet more painful developments over Waitangi week. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi made conciliatory noises in his kōrero during the political pōwhiri, telling Kapa-Kingi’s son Eru (another speaker on Thursday) that this was the right forum to air frustrations and concerns. He also apologised for declining an invitation to meet with Ngāpuhi last year, to discuss the problems in the party. However, that olive branch was effectively slapped to the ground by what happened next. When Te Pāti Māori rose following Waititi’s kōrero to deliver a haka, his wife Kiri Tamihere-Waititi (also the party’s general manager and the daughter of its president, John Tamihere) approached the hau kāinga and Eru Kapa-Kingi in particular, gesturing towards him. As the haka ended, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi stood and told her, “Hoki atu”, meaning “go back”. This was viewed as an aggressive action by Ngāpuhi and others. Jones called it “marae culture at an incandescent level” while, more worryingly for Te Pāti Māori, iwi leaders said explicitly that it had broken their relationship with the party. Mane Tahere, the iwi chair, told the NZ Herald the haka was the “nail in the coffin” for many voters. “They obviously have misread the room. Unless something drastic happens between now and November, unfortunately, they have lost Te Tai Tokerau seat,” he said. Pita Tipene, former chair of the Waitangi Trust and chair of Ngāti Hine, made similar remarks to the Herald. “I didn’t think it was appropriate at all. Conflicting messages [are] coming out of Te Pāti Māori and the people of Te Tai Tokerau have really had enough,” he said. Perhaps all this will lead to an unexpected triumph in the coming election for the Greens, who used Waitangi to strengthen their relationship with Labour via a joint leaders’ stand-up and to announce four wāhine Māori who will run in Māori electorates. Among them were current list MP Hūhana Lyndon, who has strong connections in the north and will run for Te Tai Tokerau. Or it could see Kapa-Kingi returned to Parliament, not as a member of Te Pāti Māori but as an independent. During the political pōwhiri, she said she wasn’t going anywhere and was committed to running again in Te Tai Tokerau. It is, however, unlikely to result in much of a boost for the Government. Although Thursday’s pōwhiri was quieter than in years past, with only a handful of hecklers and a half-hearted protest, the reaction to Act Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour was much stronger and more negative during the usually apolitical dawn ceremony on Friday morning. Each political leader present was given the opportunity to rise and read a prayer, karakia or biblical passage. When Seymour, who represented both Act and the Government, stood and the large screen broadcasting the ceremony to several hundred members of the public depicted him, the response was immediate and loud. Seymour was booed so loudly from the lawn beyond Te Whare Rūnanga that it was difficult to hear him speak. Hecklers shouted “shut up”, “f**k off” (repeatedly, to applause) and “he’s an idiot”. Bishop Te Kito Pikaahu stood and urged the crowd to let Seymour speak, but was ignored. The Deputy PM later put it down to a “couple of muppets shouting in the dark” and said the media shouldn’t exaggerate the response. While that might be a fitting description of his reception on Thursday, the reaction on Friday morning was far more widespread – and from a more diverse audience than those who might take off work on a Thursday to attend a midday political pōwhiri. Nor did Prime Minister Christopher Luxon ingratiate himself with the north, spending his speech on Thursday explaining the three articles of the Treaty of Waitangi to the members of the Waitangi National Trust. As with Seymour, he received little heckling during his speech. The largest reaction came not when he discussed law and order, nor economic policy, but when he mentioned Education Minister Erica Stanford by name. That may hint at which of the Government policies accused of being “anti-Māori” are actually resonating (negatively) with Māori voters. There was little kōrero about the Marine and Coastal Area Act amendments passed last year, but the mere mention of Stanford was enough to summon anger over her direction to remove te reo Māori words from school readers and her surprise legislative amendments to remove the requirement that school boards give effect to the Treaty. Over the 24 hours following the political pōwhiri, nearly all of the party leaders left town. Winston Peters went first, returning home as he usually does as soon as he finished speaking. Luxon left later that afternoon, to spend Waitangi Day itself in Auckland. Seymour attended the dawn ceremony as the only party leader from the coalition, then left after a short series of media interviews. Hipkins watched part of the annual Waitangi waka ceremony, wandered through the festival markets for an hour and then got in a car bound for Auckland’s Waititi marae. The Greens co-leaders, for what it’s worth, were still around. Did anyone have much to show for it? It’s certainly a question Northland may be asking itself, after a week of political bungling, scandal and scorn. As the MPs headed home or on to other kaupapa, locals got on with enjoying the day. The sun was shining (unlike the miserable drizzle that persisted through the political day), tamariki ran laughing through the festival stalls, kaumātua sat in camping chairs in the shade watching on. One man, sitting on the railing on the Waitangi bridge watching the great waka Ngātokimatawhaorua paddle past, asked his friend, “Are the politicians gone yet?” “I hope so, bro,” the friend replied. He waka eke noa? Photo: Marc Daalder