It was an impressive turnout of ministers for Chris Hipkins’ first meeting with iwi leaders at Waitangi - but then it had to be.
After the formal meetings and waka rides and speeches and prayers at the Treaty Ground, what happens in the next few months on Māori policycould make or break his leadership.
He will need support from his ministers in what will be a difficult set of decisions.
Carmel Sepuloni, Kelvin Davis, Grant Robertson, Megan Woods, Willie Jackson, Kiritapu Allan, Stuart Nash, Andrew Little, Peeni Henare, Nanaia Mahuta, Meka Whaitiri, Willow-Jean Prime, Marama Davidson and James Shaw were all there and most stood with the new Prime Minister as he faced the news media after the meeting.
There were hints beforehand that iwi might confront Hipkins in the closed-door meeting about his Cabinet reshuffle, which included a move down the rankings for Nanaia Mahuta and Peeni Henare.
In the end, they did not raise it, which is just as well. Reshuffles are the PM’s prerogative and criticising his judgment would have got the relationship off to a sour start.
What’s more, it was a good reshuffle in terms of promotions for four members of the Māori caucus: Willie Jackson, Kiri Allan, Willow-Jean Prime and Rino Tirikatene.
Hipkins has more Māori ministers and more Māori on the front bench than Jacinda Ardern had. But he will never be able to compete with Ardern, in terms of the almost saintly status in which she is held by many iwi.
Nor will he even want to try. His job in the next few months is to do what she failed to do in five years and that was to develop a coherent policy on co-governance and explain it to the public.
Ngāpuhi matriarch Titewhai Harawira and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern listen to the speeches from the porch of Te Whare Rūnanga. Waitangi 2020. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Ardern either did not believe the anxiety around co-governance was real or believed it was not important enough to address. She left a vacuum. This is the biggest difference between her and Hipkins. Whether the concerns are justified or not, he sees a need to address them and he made a huge step in admitting the problem.
He doesn’t need to be best friends with the iwi leaders but it would be helpful not to alienate them as he works it through.
Hipkins has to make some changes to the Three Waters co-governance reform while keeping a meaningful role for iwi.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins shares a hongi with Ngāti Rēhia leader Nora Rameka during a housing announcement in Kerikeri. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Giving them no role is not an option for a policy area involving local government and water.
Simply changing the label of co-governance - as suggested by Waikato-Tainui chairman Tukoroirangi Morgan - is not an option either.
The clear message from iwi leaders after the meeting with Hipkins was that they did not want to be “thrown under the bus” by him.
They do not want co-governance thrown out altogether.
But they are also realistic enough to know that unless some changes are made, and Hipkins gives some clear leadership, they are more likely to be dealing with a more difficult government after the October election.
