The Government may be hoisting the "tino rangatiratanga" flag at official sites around New Zealand this Waitangi Day, but there was no sign of it in an official capacity at Waitangi today.
Prime Minister John Key last year said the flag would fly from Auckland Harbour Bridge and at Government House on Waitangi Day to represent partnership with Maori on the day marking the country's founding document.
But as had been signalled, neither the Treaty Grounds nor Te Tii Marae flew the red, white and black flag today.
The Treaty Grounds flew the New Zealand flag, the Union Jack, the Navy ensign and the 1835 United Tribes flag, put together shortly after the declaration of independency by northern hapu.
At Te Tii Marae, the United Tribes flag was dominant.
Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples said he could understand the Ngapuhi preference for the United Tribes flag as it was designed following the Declaration of Independence by northern tribes.
However, he said the tino rangatiratanga flag "represents us all" and he expects to see it at the marae next year.
"Apparently we did get permission to fly it and then someone didn't want it, so fine. It'll be here next year.
"Up here the confederation tribes flag will always be supreme."
Mr Key and Labour leader Phil Goff said it was up to the marae to decide what it wanted to fly.
The Government had gone with the majority of submissions when it chose the tino rangatiratanga flag for official sites but Mr Key said he wasn't bothered that it wasn't flown officially.
"It was never my demands or expectations that the Maori flag would fly here necessarily on Waitangi Day. That's for the people of Ngapuhi to decide and not for me to tell them."
Mr Goff said the flag issue was not an important one when 15 percent of Maori were unemployed.
Meanwhile Ngai Tahu said today it wouldn't fly the tino rangatiratanga flag during Waitangi Day celebrations in Canterbury tomorrow - the iwi says it has been "nothing but trouble".
Instead it will raise the New Zealand and the United Tribes flags.
At Onuku in Akaroa, runanga chairman George Tikao said the iwi didn't believe it was their flag.
Maori historian and Ngai Tahu member Te Maire Tau said the tino rangatiratanga flag had negative connotations for the iwi.
"Quite often people opposing a Ngai Tahu settlement were flying the tino rangatiratanga flag," he said.
NZPA
source: newshub archive
