Te Tii Marae cancels Waitangi commemorations

It's usually a hive of activity but this year there won't be any Waitangi Day commemorations at Te Tii Marae. Photo / John Stone

All events planned at Waitangi's Te Tii Marae to mark the Treaty's 182nd anniversary have been cancelled amid the growing Omicron outbreak and concerns about public safety.

Commemorations at the nearby Treaty Grounds were cancelled late last year but the marae had planned to go ahead with three days of activities, albeit with Covid-19 precautions in place.

However the marae — which, along with the Treaty Grounds, has long been the focal point of national commemorations — has also cancelled its plans.

Te Tii Marae had been preparing market stalls, a carnival, youth forums, entertainment, and pōwhiri for manuhiri (guests).

Marae chairman Ngati Kawa Taituha said it was an honour for the mana whenua of Waitangi— Ngāti Kawa and Ngāti Rahiri — to host the nation once a year for the commemorations of Te Tiriti.

The hapū had been ''working overtime'' with a large number of groups and organisations to create a suitable itinerary and a comprehensive safety plan.

However, the Omicron outbreak and the return to the red setting forced many of those groups to withdraw, leaving the marae without key parts of its event infrastructure, Taituha said.

Another factor was a loss of sponsorship which had coincided with hapū members being abused and protesters ''conjuring up a false narrative''.

''After conducting a risk analysis, this full list of concerns led us to conclude we could not guarantee everyone's safety. The people's health and wellbeing is paramount and a duty we hold dear in terms of our manaakitanga hosting responsibilities. That's the crux of our decision to cancel,'' Taituha said.

The annual speaker's forum would go ahead but not in the customary marquee next to the marae. Instead it would be live-streamed via the Facebook page WaitangiDay1840 with a wide range of speakers including Maori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi, John Tamihere, Dr Hinemoa Elder, Rahui Papa, Donna Awatere Huata and Huhana Lyndon. Go to www.waitangimarae.co.nz for the full list of speakers.

■ The ''false narrative'' which contributed to a loss of sponsorship is thought to relate to misinformation spread via social media that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited Waitangi a few weeks earlier to make payments to various iwi groups. In fact, Ardern visited Waitangi to pre-record a speech at the Treaty Grounds to be broadcast as part of ''virtual'' Waitangi commemorations.