Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
The Parliamentary pōwhiri at Waitangi is a chance each year for politicians to have their say, and for the hau kāinga - home people - and te ao Māori, to respond.
Today though, the Prime Minister won't be there to listen.
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson thinks Christopher Luxon should be.
"It's a way of acknowledging to the people of the north, but [also] to the nation, the significance that this place holds. It's expected for prime ministers to be able to show up and be accountable for their actions and actually needing to front up to people," she said.
Instead Luxon will be represented by Minister for Māori Crown relations Tama Potaka.
"I'm very proud and privileged to be in a position of Minister of Maori Development, Maori Crown relations, and a number of other ministerial responsibilities, and certainly on behalf of the government, leading the government delegation," he told RNZ.
"And for me, and as I've said on numerous occasions, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Treaty are critical for our past, present and future."
Being present at Waitangi is a non-negotiable for him.
"I will be at Waitangi so long as I have support of tangata whenua and the hosts to be here. Clearly with my wife being Ngāpuhi and our children being Ngāpuhi, that has added criticality for me as well, and added meaning to me."
Minister for Māori Crown relations Tama Potaka. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Coalition partners Winston Peters and David Seymour will be there too.
The ACT leader's own hapū told him not to come but he says he has to front up.
"My job as a representative of the government, Parliament and the ACT Party is to be up there and say that actually, we have something to contribute to the national debate. And if we're all going to live together and get on in this country, then we need to be able to have these dialogues."
But Labour leader Chris Hipkins says a conversation is a two-way thing.
"David Seymour and the government say they want a conversation about the Treaty, but it seems they want a conversation in which they're the only people doing the talking. They need to open their ears and do some listening as well."
Word on the ground at Waitangi is that a protest group will make its presence known during the pōwhiri - an activation specifically aimed at Seymour, RNZ understands.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Ben Dalton is the chief executive of the Waitangi National Trust, and it's his job to make sure everyone is safe and able to participate in that conversation.
"It is all about that really, it's about how is the voice of unhappiness that is pretty apparent through a lot of the people that are here today - how is that heard?
"But also, I guess, that the sanctity of tikanga is maintained."
Seymour is no stranger to protest.
"I suspect there will be people that try to steal the show. I'll be taking the precaution of releasing my speech beforehand so that anyone who's truly interested in a dialogue can see what I went to say," he said.
Davidson agrees, acknowledging politicians are all accountable to the people.
"I'm never looking forward to anything that David Seymour has to say, but I'm not focused on what he has to say. The Greens have a lot to say about Te Tiriti being a way for this country to make sure everyone is okay.
"It's about taking the best possible care of each other. I'm interested in what we have to say," she said.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi also thinks it's important everyone gets a say.
"Te Tiriti o Waitangi belongs to all of us, and it has political, cultural, social aspects to it. To deny one part of that would mean that we cut our nose off to spite our face.
"And so we have every right to come here and talk about the issues that are currently facing te iwi Māori today"
Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Te Pāti Māori was welcomed to Waitangi on Tuesday alongside the Kiingitanga and Māori Queen, and brought with them a renewed policy commitment for a commissioner to put a Te Tiriti check on Parliament.
"We're wanting to give this commissioner some teeth, and what it does is it becomes the arbiter for anything when it comes to legislation being created.
"It will ensure that Te Tiriti o Waitangi is concreted into everything that we do."
Waititi says it should have veto powers to ensure a bill like the Treaty Principles never makes it to Parliament.
Seymour has called the idea a "crazy" and undemocratic demand.
"If breaking democracy is a bottom line for Te Pāti Māori, Labour and the Greens need to role out ever being in government with them, or they'll never be in government with anyone," he said.
But Hipkins told RNZ he's always open to discussions around how there can be more checks and balances on Parliament.
"We have a very simple Parliamentary system, it requires a simple Parliamentary majority and the government of the day can effectively do whatever it wants.
"There aren't that many other democracies in the world that give that much power to the government of the day, and so I think checks and balances are always important, and we don't have many in the New Zealand system, and I'm always open to debates around how we can improve that," he said.
