Up to 30,000 people expected to join the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti as thousands descend on Wellington in historic day of mass protest.
Wellington Museum says its decision to fly the flag of the Toitū Te Tiriti organisation isn’t a political statement.
Act Party leader David Seymour has criticised the move, accusing the museum of being “hijacked by unprofessional staff”.
Mayor Tory Whanau supports it, saying it serves as a reminder of the mana ofTe Tiriti o Waitangi.
Wellington Museum is defending its move to fly a Toitū Te Tiriti branded flag to mark the anniversary of Wellington signing Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Toitū Te Tiriti is the name and slogan of the political organisation behind last year’s historic Hīkoimō te Tiriti.
The hīkoi was organised in direct response to Act’s Treaty Principles Bill, which the group described as “the Government’s assault on tangata whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi”.
The Toitū Te Tiriti flag was flown at Wellington Museum to commemorate Wellington’s Treaty signing. Photo / Facebook.
Asked why the flag was chosen, Experience Wellington chief executive Diana Marsh told the Herald it “is not a political statement”.
“We always fly the New Zealand flag, the Tino Rangatiratanga flag and the United Tribes of New Zealand flag on the roof of the Museum.
“We added the Toitū te Tiriti flag as a direct reference to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, to commemorate the Wellington signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on 29 April 1840″, Marsh said.
She said the museum flies “a variety of flags to represent communities across Wellington”.
The flag was put up on Tuesday but remained up longer than planned due to weather.
The museum, which is part funded by Wellington City Council, confirmed it paid $55 for the flag.
The Toitū Te Tiriti website states all proceeds from its site will be used “to help with the costs that a movement of this large nature will need during the next 3 years - for example koha for wānanga, kai, printing, travel costs and stickers and banners etc”.
A Facebook post by the museum about the flying of the flag saw a number of comments criticising the flag choice.
The museum turned off comments on the post, saying “some of the discussion hasn’t met the respectful standard we expect”.
Act Party leader David Seymour told the Herald the museum shouldn’t be flying the flag and should “get back to preserving history”.
ACT Leader David Seymour has accused Wellington Museum of being " hijacked by unprofessional staff". Photo / Mark Mitchell.
“A museum is an institution that should seek to preserve the past so all people can feel welcome to make up their own mind. It shouldn’t be hijacked by unprofessional staff trying to make a political point instead of doing their job”, Seymour said in a statement.
Mayor Tory Whanau supported the museum flying the flag, saying it “acknowledges the ongoing significance of Te Tiriti as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand”.
“It also serves as a reminder of the enduring mana of Te Tiriti, particularly in light of the recent and fortunately failed attempt to challenge and redefine its principles through the Treaty Principles Bill”, Whanau said.
Ethan Manera is a multimedia journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 and is interested in local issues, politics and property in the capital. Manera is always on the lookout for a story and can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.
