From Peeni Henare’s shock resignation and Labour’s rumoured internal uncertainty, to the Prime Minister’s defence of his government’s relationship with iwi, and a recalibrated protest, Waitangi this week is already offering a clear snapshot of where Māori-Crown relations sit heading into an election year.
These developments do not sit in isolation.
On the surface, the programme so far has unfolded largely as expected - polite handshakes, the normal but direct, robust kōrero, media stand-ups, and the winterless north on full display.
Beneath it, however, the politics of repair, resistance and an approaching election year have continued to sit heavily in the air, as politicians are expected to be welcomed onto Te Whare Rūnanga on the Treaty Grounds.
Part of some attempted repair was underway yesterday by the Prime Minister at his brief meet with the National Iwi Chairs Forum, Ngāti Hine chair Pita Tipene said he left the iwi leaders meeting with Luxon feeling frustrated, saying there was limited opportunity for meaningful discussion given the number of iwi present.
“I te āhua pukuriri ahau, i te mea kīhai i tino whai wā ki te āta kōrero, nā i runga anō i te kārangirangi,” he said.
Tipene said that with around 85 iwi represented in the room, key issues affecting Māori were not able to be properly aired.
“Ki a au, kīhai i puta tika ngā tino kaupapa o tō tātou iwi Māori, i te mea i tae mai ia e 85 ngā iwi e noho ana i te whare.”
He said while kōrero had begun, he felt compelled to seek further discussion directly with the Prime Minister, particularly on issues affecting Te Tai Tokerau.
“Ko te whai atu au i te Pirimia kia āta kōrero mō ngā take e pā ana ki Te Tai Tokerau.”
Tipene acknowledged the Prime Minister’s presence in regions affected by severe weather, but said support for whānau and hapū needed to be seen in practice to be believed.
“E pai ana ahau ki te Pirimia i tae ā kanohi ā tinana mai ki roto i ngā wāhi e pēhitia nei e ngā āwhā, engari ko te tautoko ka maringi mai ki ngā whānau, ki ngā hapū me kitea ka whakapono.”
“Nā te mea kei runga tonu te whenua o Waitangi e tata atu ana ki te wā i hainatia ai te Tiriti o Waitangi, nā reira me ū ki ngā kupu i roto i te Tiriti, ko te kāwanatanga e mahi tahi ana me te rangatiratanga.”
Tipene said recent legislation had caused significant harm to Māori and questioned whether there was clarity within the coalition itself.
“Nā, ko ngā ture e puta mai ana i te kāwanatanga i ngā tau e rua tata ake nei ka nui te whakakoretake i te iwi Māori, nā reira e mōhio ana tātou e toru kē ngā upoko o tēnei kāwanatanga.”
The Prime Minister characterised the hui as constructive.
In his assessment, the engagement marked progress after a government term in which relationships between Māori and the Crown had been repeatedly tested.
Christopher Luxon described the meeting as “the best forum I’ve participated in,” rejecting suggestions that it had been strained.
He said it was not combative or contentious, but “direct”.
“We’re direct too,” he said.
Luxon said discussions focused on lifting outcomes for Māori across health, law and order, the economy, infrastructure, investment and education.
“And lo and behold, iwi want to do exactly the same thing to advance their people as well. So there’s really good alignment,” he said.
But that sense of alignment was not shared across the room.
Ngāti Wai leader Aperahama Edwards described the meeting as beneficial, while acknowledging the depth of hurt that remains among Māori.
“Our people are hurting, and we’re mindful of that, but there’s also a calm here as well, and an optimism at the thought of what sort of change might be coming,” he said.
For others, the hui highlighted not progress, but the limits of engagement itself and whether that could be mistaken for repair.
That unease has also been evident beyond the formal programme and continues to bubble away on social media and in the more informal chats with the thousands that frequent the grounds.
In the lead up to today, organisers behind a proposed protest action initially signalled plans for a more direct intervention, including forming a human chain to prevent government ministers and MPs from being welcomed in the formal pōwhiri.
Following discussions with haukāinga and iwi leaders, protesters clarified their intentions during a live online briefing last night.
They said that while there remained strong support for highlighting what they described as injustices faced by Māori, there was clear guidance that the pōwhiri process must not be disrupted.
The revised plan involves a peaceful rally that will not breach the line or interfere with tikanga.
Instead, protesters say they will voice their concerns through haka, kōrero and what they call collective presence.
The clarification may have eased some concerns about disruption, while underscoring the depth of feeling that continues to sit beneath formal Crown engagement at Waitangi.
That context shapes how the Prime Minister’s visit has been received.
Luxon rejected claims from Labour leader Chris Hipkins that the government is anti-Treaty, pointing instead to what he described as productive engagement with iwi leaders.
He acknowledged ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill had been “incredibly challenging”, but said the government had continued conversations with iwi leaders throughout that period.
“What we’ve got to find is the common ground,” he said.
“Let’s focus on the common ground, the 70 per cent that we can agree on, that we can actually move and advance forward.”
Asked whether Māori could have confidence he would not agree to similar legislation again, Luxon said that was “absolutely ruled out”.
Among some iwi, there is a cautious willingness to keep talking, driven by pragmatism and a desire to protect their people from future policy fallout.
Among others, the mood remains guarded because, in reality, engagement does not automatically mean endorsement, and presence does not equal trust.
With an election year now firmly underway, attention is already turning to what tomorrow’s political day will bring.
For Te Tai Tokerau in particular, the programme unfolds against a charged backdrop.
Alongside ongoing dissatisfaction with government policy, the region is still absorbing the implications of High Court proceedings earlier this week involving Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and her expulsion and the well-publicised inner turmoil within Te Pāti Māori.
While the matter remains before the court, its timing has sharpened debate around Te Pāti Māori, adding another layer of tension, especially with Te Pāti Māori not attending a meeting by leaders in the north late last year.
Complicating the political backdrop further was Labour MP Peeni Henare’s shock resignation, announced earlier this week here at Waitangi.
As a son of the North, Henare’s decision to step aside up north carried heavy symbolism, fuelling speculation about what had led to his departure.
Officially, Henare has framed his resignation as a personal decision.
On the ground, the kōrero has been less settled, with questions circulating among iwi leaders, MPs and many on the ground ‘chitty chats’, or let’s be honest - gossip, about the timing and circumstances of the announcement.
When asked about Henare’s resignation, Tipene grounded his response in legacy.
“Peeni Henare he tamaiti tāku, e mahara ake ana ko ngā kupu a tōna pāpā, arā tōna karani pāpā ko Tā Hēmi Henare.
“Nā reira, ko ngā tūmanako tūmanakohia ai e rātou i runga kē o ngā pokowhiwhi a Peeni Henare kua ngahoro nei.”
Asked whether he was upset with Labour, Tipene said he was cautious not to speculate.
“Me ruku atu au ki te take, heke mai nei a Peeni, kaua au e pōhēhē e haere whakapae noa iho.”
For Labour, Henare’s exit lands at an awkward moment, raising uncertainty about the party’s Māori caucus as it heads into an election year, with speculation already swirling about candidates for the Māori electorates in the weeks or even days ahead.
Alongside these political currents, the presence of the Kīngitanga was a significant feature on Wednesday.
The pōwhiri for the Kīngitanga leadership was strong and warmly received, reinforcing the growing prominence of calls for unity.
Today, will once again be telling, however, with what will be, I am sure more promises and potentially revelations on the taumata.
For now, what is clear is that the politics of 2026 are already taking shape; a government seeking to steady strained Māori relationships, an opposition navigating internal disruption while trying to project unity, and iwi leaders asserting boundaries and expectations on their own terms.
