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Maori flag for Wellington on Waitangi Day

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Sat, 04 Feb 2012 2:16p.m.

The Maori flag

The Maori flag

The Maori flag, Tino Rangatiratanga, will be flown from Wellington's Town Hall on Waitangi Day for the first time.

The flag was recognised by cabinet as the preferred national Maori flag in 2009 after months of consultation.

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says the Maori flag will be flown together with the New Zealand national flag in the city on the country's national day of celebration.

"Waitangi Day is all about the spirit of mutual respect and nationhood so we will fly the two flags together. This symbolises and enhances the relationship between the Crown and Maori," she said.

Mana Party leader Hone Harawira thanked Ms Wade-Brown for the gesture.

However, Mr Harawira said most Maori were against making the flag into an official state flag because then the government could determine when it could fly, Fairfax reported.

Waitangi Day is a public holiday and a day of national celebrations but it is often marred by protests at Waitangi in Northland where dignitaries assemble.

Other councils have flown the Maori flag on Waitangi Day and other days of significance and it has been flown on Auckland Harbour Bridge and at Premier House.

NZN

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Comments

05 Feb 2012 01:44p.m.

171 years on wrote:

The ancestors smile down upon our most gracious Pakeha brothers and sisters who finally accept that we are our own nation and people. Activism does pay off. This is once again, a serious and positive step for the future of this country. Not being dictated too by foreign ideologies. Taken seriously and accepted with the true virtue of moving forward and improving race relations in this country. Waitangi after all is the coming together of two different peoples, not the subjugation of one to the other. Good on them! And every year their will be more and more who will finally figure out the bigger picture and embrace this with positivity rather than ignorance, arrogance and misinformation. An excellent achievement not for Maori but for the treaty and wider New Zealand.

04 Feb 2012 08:18p.m.

cyril wrote:

As usual moari are trying to make New Zealand a Moari and the rest of you country. But we cant say they are racist

04 Feb 2012 05:15p.m.

KOOROC wrote:

Why can't we just celebrate as ONE people under one flag? Why do we need special flags on special days. All it shows is separatism....