Waitangi

D. Clemens

One Friday afternoon, last February, as I was [unclear: king] past Auckland University, (having just arrived [unclear: o] the Noon Jet from Wellington), I saw a group of [unclear: people], including Bill Lee, and I thought to myself: [unclear: what] are all these people doing sitting on the [unclear: footpath] with sleeping bags, blankets, like wandering [unclear: copies], singing with guitars', and being naturally [unclear: ious] I asked Kathy, the one face I knew, and she [unclear: lied], 'Ah, we're going to Waitangi'. So I paid my [unclear: $.50], stole an unknowing friend's sleeping bag, [unclear: embered] on the ramshackle bus (the one that broke [unclear: wn] en route to the '70 All Black Demo.) and we [unclear: were] off, at a snail's pace through the Auckland rush [unclear: hour] traffic. On into the darkness. Co-passengers [unclear: included] Dr. Sinclair, who had stood for Raglan in [unclear: 169], James K. Baxter, assorted P.Y.M.-ers, twenty [unclear: f] so of the Tamatoa Council, and a few other [unclear: erested] parties with anthropological leanings.

The atmosphere on the bus was highly spirited, [unclear: and] very friendly, everyone knew why they were [unclear: were], (each viewed the Tiriti O Waitangi as a farce) [unclear: but] there was uncertainty as to whether their [unclear: posed] action would receive the sanction of their [unclear: elers]. Even if this was achieved no-one seemed sure [unclear: to] what type of action should be taken on Waitangi [unclear: ly]. The respect of the Tamatoa Council towards the [unclear: felings] of the elders cannot be over emphasised, it [unclear: is] very real issue, and the main reason for calling [unclear: Te] Rapunga Marae, prior to Waitangi Day.

We were greeted with traditional Maori ceremony, [unclear: and] for myself, having never experienced this before, [unclear: the] emphasis on genuine openness and community [unclear: spirit] was intensely moving. Then Dr. Doug. Sinclair [unclear: as] appointed Chairman of the discussion that [unclear: allowed], conducted mainly in Maori. Even though it [unclear: came] clear after a while that support was [unclear: rthcoming], the discussion lasted until about 3am. [unclear: so] present were a team of N.Z.B.C. journalists [unclear: thering] material for a radio documentary [unclear: subsequently] broadcast), and a conscientious police [unclear: officer] from Whangarei, whose presence was due to [unclear: as] alarm concerning our proposed intentions. It was [unclear: decided] to try and persuade the Anglican Maori [unclear: action] Group not to perform - so that Waitangi Day [unclear: could] be reduced to speeches by pakehas praising [unclear: waitangi] Day with platitudinous pomposity. The [unclear: decision] being made, we all slept together on the [unclear: arae].

Morning was clear and blue-bright. The bus made [unclear: the] final few miles to Waitangi, we were once again [unclear: eeted] in traditional style. What now became [unclear: erwhelmingly] obvious was that we would be unable [unclear: to] dissuade the Concert Party to perform, but were [unclear: still] to hold a meeting that afternoon for those [unclear: interested]. Maclntyre was to attend. Thus it became necessary to devise another course of action. Over this issue, different attitudes became apparent within the Tamatoa Council itself. Some felt that something militant should be done to draw attention to the issues, but others were unwilling to support action that was outside the legitimate sanction of the law. With these feelings circulating, wc made our way up the hill to where the celebrations were to take place, and sat under the Navy Ensign, our numbers swelled by a few more interested people.

The events that followed have been widely misreported. As discussion ensued as to what action was to be taken, most people had their backs to the flagpole, and many were unaware that the Navy Ensign had been lowered. With one person sitting under the flag, another two steadied it from the outside, and tried to set it alight. Reaction from the Tamatoa members was varied - and it was a young Tamatoa lawyer, motivated by his desire to have a legitimate protest, who broke up the attempt. Then two navy officials came trotting up, surveyed the scorched area with dismayed frowns, and rehoisted the Ensign. The attempt to burn the flag was a spontaneous gesture of militancy, almost in desperation that nothing striking enough to spotlight the issues would be done, and that all the talk woul be wasted. But the misunderstandings were given a clear airing, with James K. Baxter adding to the reconciliation with an allegory which assigned different parts of the body to the differing viewpoints. The elders were the heart, the university educated lawyers and students were the mind, and the militants the guts. There was little use in having the guts spilled over the ground, the heart and mind needed this element as much as the guts needed the rest of the body - so that Maori opinion could be held and taken notice of.

We trooped back to the marae for lunch with a more united purpose. I was then met by Matt Rata, the Labour M.P. for Northern Maori, who whisked me away to eat with him. Dr. Pat Hohepa, and a N.Z. Herald Reporter. As I had been a staunch little Labour Party member the previous year, I was esteemed the privilege of his patronage and his views. Firstly the inaccuracies in the account he had received of the 'Flag burning' were pointed out, and though he did admit that he considered the Tamatoa Council was sincere in its aims, there was little one could do to lessen his apprehension of them. (Many regard Rata as an 'Uncle Tom'; a Maori who has sold out to the Pakeha Establishment, and reaped status and monetary [unclear: gn] from the system). After drinks at a friend's place, Dr. Hohepa, who had also been at Te Rapunga Marae, showed himself to have a sympathetic understanding of the Tamatoa Council's views. Other Maori men there Labour Party members, were afraid that any action taken would bring shame on them, (there was little to grumble about really.) Rata remained unconvinced that the holidayising of Waitangi Day was an insulting suggestion, (because of the way its provisions were being abused) and he still supported the idea.

With the evening meal over, the sky began to darken as people began to make their way to the official seating, and around the celebration area. There it began to rain heavily. The police drew back in to more sheltered positions, and the ceremony commenced. As the speeches began, members of the Tamatoa Council began to filter through, and got into the open. During his speech, Dr. Pei Te H. Jones had spoken of the growing frustration of the Maori people towards the failure to apply the spirit of the Triti O Waitangi in New Zealand society. The Tamato Council's protest was a more active form of expressing this. Dressed in black, and dark colours and draped with green foliage symbolising grief, they were indicating that they felt the signing of the treaty should be mourned rather than celebrated The police reaction is graphically shown in the sequence o photo aphs. Whether Muldoon understood Hannal Jackson's breakaway railings at him could not be ascertained, but he got the point sufficiently well to abandon his prepared speech to talk about the righ to dissent within the law, before she was led off by uniformed gentlemen.

Overall, Waitangi Day, 1971, was literally washout - most viewers adjourned to the hotel. But the demonstration itself achieved its purpose o creating a talking point about the treaty.

The means the Tamatoa council will adopt to have these goals implemented will be interesting to follow Sister organisations are in the process of being set up in both Wellington and Christchurch, so that action can be taken on a more national basis. Those student at Victoria who are concerned about these issues, are welcome to hear the views to be expressed by members of the Tamatoa Council at the Otaki basec seminar on 'Brown Power', on April 2-4.