Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said her new government's first Waitangi Day will be a "fresh start" for relations between the Crown and iwi.
Speaking from Labour's two-day retreat in the Wairarapa today, Ms Ardern announced she would be taking the "unusual" step of attending Waitangi for five days.
"Waitangi is about more than just one day, it's about our relationships with the people of Northland and about Crown and iwi and Maori generally.
"As part of that I want to make full use of the time when people are gathered there," she told media gathered in Martinborough.
Ms Ardern was upbeat about the sometimes tense nature of previous ceremonies marking Waitangi Day which has seen protesters clash with government representatives and police.
"This is a fresh start for us and Waitangi feels like a fresh start to us."
In a bid to avoid any ugly scenes the Prime Minister won't be attending Te Tii Waitangi Marae this year, although she says that was a decision made by the Waitangi National Trust and Commemorations Committee, not her own.
Last year then Prime Minister Bill English spent Waitangi Day at an Auckland marae in protest of the fact he wasn't given permission to speak at Te Tii lower marae on February 5.
This afternoon Ms Ardern also addressed an interview she gave to More FM this morning where it was suggested she let slip the gender of her and partner Clarke Gayford's baby.
She denied this and said she would need to articulate her words more clearly in the future.
SHARE ME