Editorial: Our national celebration ruined again

Mud-slinging will cover Maoridom in nothing but opprobrium. The misguided individual responsible for an attack on Dr Don Brash at Waitangi has not only insulted the National Party leader but has provided yet another excuse for more general criticism. The elders at Te Tii Marae will be criticised for failing to provide sufficient organisation that a visiting dignitary is safe from assault. They will also be slated for failing to ensure that he was accorded the respect that his position deserved.

On a wider scale, Ngapuhi will be under a cloud for failing to control the disruptive elements that have yet again marred what should be a celebration of nationhood. And those intent on Maori-bashing will have a field day. All in all, the act of throwing mud will have the opposite effect to what Maoridom needs. It will encourage more non-Maori voters to buy into Dr Brash's policy on sweeping aside the special treatment that Maori receive from the state. The large smear on his suit will translate directly into party support.

Dr Brash's approach to National's policy on Maori has been based on rational argument that has struck a chord with a sizeable section of the community. That it ignored some harsh realities that see Maori trapped at the bottom of the heap and needing special attention did not, unfortunately, stand in the way of logic. It was that same approach that took him to Waitangi to debate - rationally - with Maori representatives on a subject that they see not as an exercise in logic but as a challenge to their status as tangata whenua.

Dr Brash's appearance at Waitangi was a genuine attempt to enter into a dialogue on his party's policy. The Labour Maori members of Parliament who accused him of going north for political point-scoring do him a disservice. Indeed, the Minister of Maori Affairs added to the renewed support that Dr Brash is enjoying. Parekura Horomia simply compounded the insult by saying that the National leader had got what he wanted.

What Dr Brash wanted was an opportunity to talk publicly with a Maori audience. When he was denied that public forum because of a senseless media ban, he decided it was neither the time nor the place for that debate. Little would be served by having the discussion in effect behind closed doors. He had every right to make that determination.

For Mr Horomia to say the media ban was "none of Dr Brash's business" was facile. Of course it was his business. He is a national politician anxious to explain a newly issued policy plank. Anything that directly interfered with that aim - and the ban fell squarely into that category - was very much his business.

Te Tai Tokerau MP Dover Samuels was wrong when he described yesterday's incident as "a political jack-up" but he was right when he said that Ngapuhi "have got to get our bloody act together". Waitangi has become synonymous with discord, disruption and disrespect. In part that is because of the inability of the local tribe to exercise appropriate control over the venue on Waitangi Day. The melee that accompanied the Prime Minister's arrival at Waitangi yesterday afternoon proved the point.

If Ngapuhi are unable or unwilling to make Waitangi the place where we can collectively celebrate our nationhood and the partnership between Maori and Pakeha, then it is time to consider relocating and rethinking the annual commemoration.

That would be a sad day but it is even sadder if we cannot make our national day a celebration in the same way as Australians celebrate Australia Day or the Americans mark Independence Day. A good start would be to put yesterday behind us and to celebrate Waitangi Day in peace.