By Rebecca Wright
New Zealand's leaders joined tens of thousands of Kiwis in celebrating the 170th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi today, and, in a rare twist, it all went off without a hitch.
In darkness Prime Minister John Key, politicians and dignitaries were led into the meeting house on the upper marae.
There they were led in prayer, before some - including Mr Key - were asked to give a prayer of their own.
"We ask you to return our men and women who serve us around the world safely," said Mr Key, "in particular our men and women who are in Afghanistan."
Around 500 people gathered for the service. The rain came near the end, some saying it was a tribute to the dead.
The only protestors were peaceful and the only controversy was the Maori flag.
Even Mr Key was making light over his scrap with Hone Harawira over his involvement in copyrighting the Maori flag.
"Don't believe everything you hear in the paper," said Mr Key.
He has plenty to be pleased about after an unusually peaceful Waitangi weekend.
"Look, I think it's just a time to sort of reflect on where we've been and hopefully where we're going."
Mr Key did exactly that at a breakfast speech, where politics reared its head over treaty settlements. The Government's goal is to have full and final settlements by 2014.
"If we had progressed at the same rate as the previous Labour government, we'd still be negotiating these things in 2048," said Mr Key.
Labour's Phil Goff responded: "All the settlements that have been signed in the last year had their origins under Labour, and had been substantially completed at that point."
Another piece of Labour's legislation that's keeping the Government busy is the repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed Act.
"We've got a lot of stuff to sort out and work through, and he had a long talk with the iwi leaders yesterday and a lot of stuff surfaced," says Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples. "The main thing is we're working together."
Mr Key will only call what the Government is offering an "elegant" solution - and while there is resistance from several iwi, he is confident his government will have it wrapped up by years end.
Eventually the politics gave way to the annual pilgrimage by protestors to the upper marae. Numbers were way down on previous years, making it a fitting end.
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