David Shearer's first Waitangi appearance as Labour leader seemed to go without a hitch – protestors who disrupted yesterday’s proceedings had quietened down by the time he spoke.
Mr Shearer joined Firstline from this morning’s Waitangi celebrations to discuss the meaning the day holds for him.
New Zealand’s race relations situation is “overall… really good, and sometimes we kid ourselves that it’s not”, he says.
“You’re going to have situations that come up, obviously, that we’re going to have to deal with… as maturely as we can.”
Iwi leaders’ unanimous opposition to asset sales came as “a bit of a shock and a bit of a surprise” to the National Government, Mr Shearer says – something that “shows that there’s not really a good feel for the pulse of where Maori is at”.
The Maori Party is now in “an incredibly difficult situation”, Mr Shearer says, and has to decide “what’s more important – the coalition agreement or the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi”.
The Labour leader spoke yesterday about taking time out from politics for of the Waitangi Day celebrations, and says this isn’t a missed opportunity.
“Just one day, it’s really nice to wake up in the morning… and say ‘This is our national day, it’s so great to be a New Zealander’.”
Watch the video for the full interview
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