Waitangi trust chair urges Christopher Luxon to show up Treaty grounds

The Waitangi National Trust chairperson hopes the prime minister and other government ministers make their way to the Treaty grounds for the annual commemorations.

Christopher Luxon on Monday, at his post-Cabinet press conference, would not confirm whether he would attend next year's annual gathering.

Luxon said he had received invitations from other iwi to attend celebrations, and confirmed he would attend Rātana.

Waitangi National Trust chair Pita Tipene said the trust's kaupapa saw Waitangi as 'the enduring symbol of nationhood' and he expected the prime minister to be there.

"What we're clear about is that a promise was made at Waitangi on the sixth of February 1840. Therefore, discourse or conversations need to continue.

"Over the last few years, everyone comes to Waitangi. Why would the prime minister not come?"

Tipene said while things had the potential to get "volatile", Waitangi commemorations were safe environments.

"Any Waitangi Day has the potential to be volatile and there are differing degrees of angst depending on the political climate of the time. At the moment, things are potentially very volatile.

"What the Waitangi National Trust want is discourse and conversations of the Treaty. We're encouraging everybody to keep each other safe and we want to create an environment, as we have over many years now, where the country can focus exactly on what it's all about - the promise of the Treaty."

With the Treaty Principles Bill at the front of people's minds, Tipene said they wanted to "create much more light instead of heat".

"If the hīkoi was anything to go by, certainly the Wellington leg of which I was part, the wairua was very controlled, everybody was patient with each other. We really want the leadership of the hīkoi to be applying that same approach.

"We'll just be doing our darndest to ensure people are safe, including the prime minister, David Seymour, Winston Peters and others who are seen as the face of leading the policies creating so much angst throughout the country."

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