New Zealand Governor General, Jerry Mateparae and the New Zealand Royal Navy were welcomed onto Te Tii Marae today, lead by Titewhai Harawira.
It was the remaining Treaty settlements that was the hot topic of discussion at Waitangi.
The call went out to the Governor General and his supporters replied.
In the wharenui the Governor General talked of his hope for quick treaty settlements and the conflict his role as the Queen's representative and being Māori can cause.
Kingi Taurua says, “The Governor General should represent our interests to the Crown. In the whare I urged him, "Be our patron." Our ancestors made the very same plea when they signed the Treaty.”
Not everyone was impressed with what the Governor General had to say.
“He's my representative to the Crown, not the Crown's to the Government. That was not the agreement made in the Treaty, that agreement being between Māori and the Crown. I'm uneasy, as he wields a lot of influence with the Government,” says Taurua.
The Governor-General visited Mangungu Mission House in Hokianga, one of the most significant sites where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed.