Election year phony war in full swing at Waitangi

Election year phony war in full swing at Waitangi
Pattrick Smellie
Shock! Horror! A political speech at Waitangi!The charge that National Party leader Simon Bridges somehow erred by “politicising” the annual pilgrimage by politicians to Waitangi drips with irony.The annual Waitangi commemorations are, and will always be, about politics.It’s just a question of the crowd you’re playing to and the crowd at the Waitangi Treaty House was of only limited interest to Bridges.Held on the so-called ‘upper marae’ – the paepae on the Waitangi Treaty House grounds - the formalities are a highly controlled environment wher...

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