AUCKLAND (Māori Television/Asia Pacific Report/Pacific Media Watch): Media were still not permitted to film on Te Tii Marae premises in Waitangi, reports Māori Television.
Police also restricted media from filming the arrival of New Zealand Governor-General Patsy Reddy on her first official welcome.
WATCH MORE: Wikitoria Day and Kim Melbourne reporting for Māori Television
Media were still not permitted by the Te Tii Marae committee to film any proceedings, despite marae kaumatua Kingi Taurua disapproval.
Waitangi Day tomorrow celebrates the signing of New Zealand’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi – Te Tirito o Waitangi, on 6 February 1840.
“The horse has already bolted and I am sad,” said Kingi Taurua, the Te Tii Marae kaumātua.
“The reason we have the media is that the nation is informed about what’s going on here. How else would they know what’s going on here, this marae actually belongs to the nation, not Ngāpuhi — we are only the caretakers.”
“While police had also pushed the media from the road we were still able to get a glimpse of the Governor-General’s first official welcome onto Te Tii Marae,” reported Māori Television’s Heeni Brown.
Naida Glavish of Ngāti Whātua said: “No matter the marae, each has its own system of running things and we all know that the first custom is taking care of our guests and based on that I could never tell any marae how they should be treating their manuhiri.”
Jackson standing for Labour
Meanwhile, broadcaster and commentator Willie Jackson revealed that while he would be maintaining his community roles next week he would be resigning from his positions at Radio Live, Waatea, Marae and Te Mātāwai.
Labour Party leader Andrew Little confirmed today Willie Jackson would stand for a position as a Labour List MP in this year’s general election, reported Māori Television.
Flanked by Jackson and fellow Labour Party members, Little told media at a press conference at Waitangi that Labour wants to deepen and strengthen its representation of Māori.
“There is a voice that is not being heard and that is the voice of urban Māori and I think Willie brings very strong credentials in that regard,” Little said.
Waitangi video updates from Māori Television
Willie Jackson confirms he will stand for Labour
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