New Zealand Prime Minister won't visit Waitangi marae

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

The New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark will be attending Waitangi Day commemorations on February 6th; however she will not visit the lower Te Tii Marae, which has been a focal point for protest in recent years.

Her office has said that she would be doing a walkabout on the Treaty Grounds before attending a reception hosted by the Governor General that night.

The Prime Minister hopes her attendance will be trouble free.

The Leader of the Opposition Dr Don Brash is also to attend the attend a reception hosted by the Governor General and the Dawn Service. In 2004 Brash was showered with mud at the entrance of the lower Te Tii Marae.

Although this is New Zealand's national day, the commemoration has often been the focus of protest by Maori activists, and is often marred by controversy.

This year co-ordinators will allow all media to attend the Waitangi Day commemorations. In 2003 and 2004 all Non-Maori media were banned from the Marae.

Sources

"Clark to return to Waitangi Treaty grounds" — NZPA, January 18, 2006

"Brash in Far North for Waitangi Day" — Newstalk ZB, January 18, 2006

"PM not going to lower marae on Waitangi Day" — Radio New Zealand, January 18, 2006

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Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

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Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.