By DANIEL JACKSON
The Crown should return to celebrations at Waitangi but protesters have every right to be there as well, says outgoing Waitangi National Trust chief executive Johnny Edmonds.
Mr Edmonds, aged 52, has resigned from his position at the trust, which manages the historic Treaty Grounds at Waitangi, and he leaves next week after nearly three years in the job.
He said his biggest regret was not being able to oversee Waitangi Day activities that had run without incident but he accepted protesters' rights to be there.
"When people want to express their strong dissatisfaction with the Crown, Waitangi Day is one time they can guarantee they get close attention from the media."
Mr Edmonds said the decision by the Prime Minister and the Crown to stay away earlier this year detracted from Waitangi's importance, especially as the Governor-General, Prime Minister and other Government ministers held permanent positions on the trust's board.
"It does raise the significance or otherwise of Waitangi to the Crown."
Mr Edmonds was the trust's first chief executive, appointed after the trust decided to run the Treaty Grounds.
He said he was not leaving because of any conflict with the board but because his position had changed.
"I typically stay where I am for about three years. The first year is for getting the feel of the place, the second year is for making changes and the third is for consolidation."
He said the problems presented each year on Waitangi Day were only a small part of what the trust dealt with.
The former Commissioner of Crown Lands and Te Papa corporate management team member said the most important part of his job at Waitangi had been managing relationships between Maori, interest groups, the Government and others to keep the trust and its activities running smoothly.
"Always, and at all times, I've had to try and find a way to accommodate all views."
Mr Edmonds has helped develop an infrastructure that employs 11 full-time staff and numerous volunteers and also introduced the aim of making Waitangi "a place where all New Zealanders belong".
"I have used any excuse I could to involve people with the place," he said.
This had included involving schoolchildren to help plant more than 7000 trees on the property, introducing educational programmes and encouraging use of the facilities for special occasions.
"People who contribute form a special relationship with the place and they come back in the future with their family and the cycle begins again."
Treaty grounds the right place for ritual
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