In February the National Party was promised all women leaders would be able to speak during political talks at Waitangi next year. That commitment could end up being broken
“Imagine the headlines if the Government again decides to spend our national day in a place where the hosts treat women like second-class citizens.’’
That’s an “insane message’’, according to ACT leader David Seymour, who says it’s time the organisers of Waitangi Day commemorations got a “reality check”.
Next week the Waitangi National Trust Board, which manages the day-to-day running of the Treaty grounds and coordinates the events in and around Waitangi Day, will meet to debate what changes should be made to tikanga (protocols) ahead of politicians arriving next year.
National’s deputy leader Shane Reti laid down a challenge to his Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Hine whānau in February, to make the political talks fair for all leaders.
He was speaking on the paepae on behalf of his leader, Judith Collins, who was not afforded the opportunity to contribute during the political talks.
Currently only Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reserves that right – she does so from the mahau – not the paepae, which is reserved for male orators.
Reti told Newsroom he had a reasonable expectation that tikanga would change next year after a commitment from Ngāti Hine elder, Te Waihoroi Shortland.
That promise was made, without consultation, but Reti says there’s precedent for change.
That’s a reference to the Waitangi commemorations being moved from the traditional lower marae at Te Tii to the more neutral upper marae at the Treaty grounds after years of protest and tension.
On Friday June 4 the Trust board will meet in the North and discuss Reti’s call to loosen the rules for all party leaders to speak on the day set aside for political talks.
The Trust Board chairman, Pita Tipene, told Newsroom it was not a given that speaking rights would change next year, saying Shortland had only offered his personal opinion.
There’s nothing straightforward about tikanga (protocols) but Tipene says it’s constantly evolving and it’s about striking a balance that the board, iwi and hapū are comfortable with.
Currently there are wide-ranging views across iwi and hapū as to whether any changes to speaking rights should be made.
For Tipene it’s less about paving a way for female political leaders to speak at Te Whare Runanga (the upper marae) and more about creating an opportunity for Māori wāhine to be given speaking rights.
He says tikanga evolving for their own wāhine seemed the logical next step, and perhaps in time that could extend to politicians.
“Is there a shortage of women’s rights to be found up North?’’ - ACT leader David Seymour
His comments prompted a fiery response from Seymour, who is himself of Ngāpuhi descent, and told Newsroom it was astonishing Tipene didn’t think more than one woman’s rights could be advanced at the same time.
“Is he seriously saying in 2022 they’re going to have wholesale blatant public gender discrimination? It reflects poorly on them, the idea that it’s an either/or,’’ says Seymour.
“Is there a shortage of women’s rights to be found up North?’’
Seymour says the Government can’t put its belief in equality to one side for the sake of a “partnership with Māori" and shouldn’t attend Waitangi when such “basic human rights’’ were being ignored.
National and Labour’s seat at the table
The Trust Board includes representatives from iwi and hapū, ancestors of Treaty signatories from both sides, and a Government and Opposition-appointed representative.
Reti holds the position for the Opposition and Labour’s Māori caucus co-chair Willow-Jean Prime is the Government’s representative.
Whānau Ora Minister Peeni Henare also holds a seat on the Trust.
Prime only joined the Trust in February and says she expects any decisions made will then be widely consulted on with hapū.
“Just like it’s challenging to change Speaker’s rulings in the House at Parliament, this is the same, and it has its own processes,’’ she said.
Tikanga is different depending on where you are in the country, and Prime says at her own marae, women have the ability to speak on the paepae.
She says hapū have found ways to allow women to speak in the past and there’s no reason to think that might not happen at Waitangi.
Reti says the commitment made to National, and in particular Collins, was very public and he expects it to be honoured.
“It’s a political day so my expectation is that women leaders might reasonably be able to speak on the paepae,’’ he told Newsroom.
A politics-free Waitangi
In addition to women’s speaking rights, Tipene says he’d like the Trust to consider what is discussed on the paepae.
Seymour expressed his own frustration about the same thing at Waitangi in February, saying at the time all parties had agreed not to make political speeches, and then, in his words, Ardern stood and electioneered.
He says it was Ardern’s deputy leader, Kelvin Davis, who passed on the message to keep politics out of it.
Seymour told Newsroom he’s happy to put politics to one side for one out of 365 days, but he wouldn’t do so if Labour continued to break its promise to do the same.
Tipene says he has no issues with political parties using the paepae to talk about the state of the nation and how to progress Māori development.
“But it’s not time, for instance, for promoting four-lane highways and other things.’’
Tipene told Newsroom all political leaders were to blame, including Ardern, but the Trust has never set out particular guidelines either.
He said no firm decisions about what is discussed and who can speak on the paepae will be made at next week’s meeting.
That would require a lot of consultation and he expected any changes to tikanga would be cleared up by the end of the year.
