Heather du Plessis-Allan: Luxon has made the right call re Waitangi

Christopher Luxon’s made the right call not going to Waitangi next year. 

He's probably going to cop it from the press gallery for being a wuss but most of us have been around long enough to see the logic in this. 

We know by now that Waitangi is volatile and unpredictable at the best of times. You can cop a dildo in the face for doing nothing. 

So imagine how intense it will be next year with the Treaty Principles bill debate in full swing and the select committee progress already underway. 

Already Willie Jackson has warned the Prime Minister about his safety if he goes up there because apparently Māori are angry. 

And as Willie Jackson says, "you just never know". 

It’s hardly as if Luxon is being made to feel welcome. 

He’s apparently been told he’s allowed to come on the 6th but not on the 4th because he’s not welcome at the big meeting the National Iwi Chairs Forum hosts every year. 

He’s had a letter from the hikoi organisers telling him he’s not welcome at Waitangi at all. 

Luxon loses nothing by giving it a miss. I doubt very much he’ll win votes by going. 

But he could actually lose votes by going and standing there like a piñata, taking a verbal bashing over a bill that’s actually not his. 

He’s better off leaving the defending to the guy who’s actually responsible for the bill, David Seymour, who says he is going. 

So Luxon I think can say he’s done enough, he's been there two years in a row already, he’s shown respect and defended his corner and he’s not being made to feel welcome. 

He’s been threatened. 

Right-minded people will absolutely, I think, understand why he may not want to go and why he frankly shouldn't. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I think on the White Hungy Day thing, I think
Chris Luckson's made the right call not going to White
Toungy next year. I mean, I think he's going to
copy it from the press gallery for being a wuss.
But the rest of us have probably been around long
enough to see the logic in this one. We know
by now White Toungy is volatile and unpredictable at the
best of times. I mean, you can copp Adildo in
the face for doing absolutely nothing. So imagine how intense

(00:21):
it's going to be next year, with the Treaty Principal's
build debate and full swing in the Select Committee process
underway already and everything going on already. Willie Jackson's warned
the Prime Minister about his safety if he goes up there.
Will he said, Apparently Mary are angry and you just
never know. Now, it's hardly quite apart from what Willy
said here, it's hardly as if Chris Luckxon is being

(00:42):
made to feel like he is welcome to attend. He's
apparently being told he's not allowed. He is allowed to
come on the sixth, which is Whyite Tangy Day, but
then he's not allowed to come on the fourth because
he's not welcome at the big meeting that the National
Ee Chairs Forum hosts every year where everybody else is
going to be. He's had a letter from the he
call Why organizes telling him he's not welcome at White
Tongue at all. He loses nothing by giving this eventimis

(01:05):
next year. I doubt very much he's gonna win votes
if he ends up going. He could actually instead lose
votes by going and standing there like a pinata, taking
a verbal bashing over a bill that's actually not his Politically,
he's smart to put some space between himself and that bill.
He is better off leaving the defending of that bill
to the guy who's actually responsible for it, who's David Seymour,
who says he is actually going up so lux and

(01:27):
I think can actually say he's done enough. He's been
there two years in a row, a ready, He's shown respect,
he's defended his corner. He's not being made to feel welcome.
He is being threatened by Willie Jackson. Right minded people
I think absolutely will understand why he may not want
to go, and frankly why he shouldn't have to go.
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(01:49):
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