Dame Silvia urges wider role for women in Maori custom

Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright has added her weight to high-level calls by Pakeha for the Maori powhiri to include girls and women more.

Dame Silvia made it clear in her official Waitangi Day speech that she believed customs should change.

"There is no excuse in the year 2005 for customs that seek to limit the participation of women or people of other ethnicities any more than we can tolerate the notion that one ethnic group is superior to another," she said at a garden party at Government House, Wellington.

Dame Silvia said she had experienced many powhiri and was "almost always" met with extreme kindness and affection. But culture was like all living organisms and had to evolve in order to survive.

Race Relations Minister Trevor Mallard last year criticised the lack of involvement of girls in powhiri at schools. Prime Minister Helen Clark later endorsed that view, though she declined to comment yesterday on Dame Silvia's speech.

A mainly female waka crew took part in festivities at Waitangi for the first time this year.

Yesterday was Dame Silvia's fourth Waitangi Day as Governor-General. She has gone to Te Tii Marae only once, in her first year, where formal powhiri take place.

Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia said he would like to see change but it was for Maori to lead the charge. Asked if it was therefore appropriate for Dame Silvia to push for change, he said: "The Governor-General is the Governor-General.

"Customary ritual is something that we as Maori know about but how we move it forward is a huge curve. Culture and custom are important - that's our tikanga."

At Te Tii on Saturday Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia, Chief Justice Sian Elias and National MP Georgina te Heuheu were seated in the row behind National Party leader Don Brash, activist Tame Iti and Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki.

Maori Party president Whatarangi Winiata said it was not appropriate to talk of discrimination of women in Maori ritual. "Women have their role and men have their role and they play those roles and they are equally influential."

Titewhai Harawira, who has advocated a stronger role for women, said Dame Silvia was "not qualified to comment".

Dame Silvia and Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen covered similar ground in their respective speeches in hoping that Waitangi Day might follow the same pattern as Anzac Day - which used to be a time of conflict between the peace movement and mainstream New Zealand. "Now the two viewpoints have converged," said Dame Silvia.

Dr Cullen, speaking at the Cathedral of St John in Napier, said Anzac Day was also like a national day on which "despite our differences of perspective, we remember our past".