Te Kāea reporter Heeni Brown and cameraman were outside of Te Tii Marae on the main road (beside the Marae) and told to leave by some of the Marae locals who said the Media were not permitted to film in that area. There were about 20 Police present at that same place. Besides that, all eyes were on the arrival of Prime Minister Bill English earlier, but it's not as if he was the only highlight of the day.
Prior to Waitangi celebrations the Prime Minister met with Iwi leaders at the Iwi Chairs forum.
Paddlers from all around New Zealand are preparing to be one of the key focuses of the Māori culture for Waitangi Day.
Here with them is an international guest who is here to learn more about the Māori culture and customs.
In conjunction with the preservation of the Māori culture, Iwi Chairs are also trying in their stride to maintain the rights of Māori children.
English says, “There’s ongoing discussion about it, I mean part of the discussion is about everyone understanding what’s already in the legislation which the government believes is in pretty good shape, there’s some other views that it needs to go through in this clause and that clause and what needs to be changed, and we’re open to that discussion.”
“We’ve got a pretty good relationship it’s constructive, it’s forward looking and it’s responsible, what I mean by that is we have pretty gritty discussions in there. I mean Iwi leaders get up and they tell us what they’re after and they push and shove a bit it’s all done in a spirit of respect and that’s how we make progress," English says.
Tomorrow Labour makes their grand entrance into Waitangi and will make their way onto Te Tii Waitangi Marae.