Christopher Luxon Luxon defends decision to skip events in Waitangi

Christopher Luxon has defended his decision not to attend Waitangi Day celebrations in Waitangi.

But the head of the marae Luxon will attend instead - Ōnuku Marae near Akaroa, Canterbury - says the prime minister should not expect an easier ride.

"I've always said I wanted to celebrate Waitangi Day across the country where the treaty was signed," Luxon told Morning Report on Tuesday.

"I'm really looking forward to doing so with Ngai Tahu at Ōnuku Marae, and it's also a place I spent a lot of my summers as a kid and with my own kids. So, I'm really looking forward to it."

Luxon did attend Waitangi last year, his first as prime minister.

"It's not uncommon for PMs not to be at that Waitangi every Waitangi Day. I mean, I've been there the last two, as I said, I think former prime ministers have not attended, attended other events around the country as well. I remember going with Bill English to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei in his first year as prime minister."

Morning Report's Corin Dann put it to Luxon that race relations were not as strained in those years as they are now, as ACT's Treaty Principles Bill makes its way through the legislative process.

"Well, again, I've spoken very strongly about the Treaty Principles Bill,"Luxon replied. He has said National would not vote for it at its second reading, killing the bill.

"There's strong feelings on all sides, as I said to you, we're not supporting it for a number of reasons - this won't become law.

"What I'm more interested in is actually sitting down with iwi leaders, as I did before Christmas in my own office in Wellington, and talking about what are we going to do together and you know, we've got a great future focusing on how we build a better economy over the next 10 to 15 years. "

He said senior government ministers would be at Waitangi, just not him.

"New Zealanders celebrate Waitangi in lots of different days in lots of different ways. I want to get out across the country and experience that and be part of that as well. And I think, you know, I've been to Waitangi - doesn't preclude me from going back there again, but again, for me, being out there with Ngai Tahu will be really good."

'It should be a good day for everyone'

Ōnuku Rūnanga Chair Rik Tainui said their marae had hosted prime ministers and Governor-Generals for Waitangi Day celebrations in the past.

"Our job is to make sure we manaaki (look after) him and those that come. We're expecting hundreds of our own, our local community, in Akaroa and obviously a large number of MPs and politicians and people from local governments."

He called it a chance for "us really to come together, sort of to pause and reflect on our shared history, celebrate Ngai Tahu rangatiratanga as recognised in the te Tiriti, and showcase our famous manakitanga and strengthen the relationship between tangata whenua and the Crown and for the benefit of everyone".

"Having the [prime minister] there, hopefully he will hear what we have to say and leave with thoughts of how to work better with us.

"A number of our whanau and iwi obviously have some concerns about the current direction of our country, and that some of that will be shared on our pipeline. Some of it will be shared, and we have a panel discussion that will talk about the relevance of the Treaty currently and the future, so I think that will be interesting for everyone that attends. It should be a good day for everyone."

Luxon's decision to attend Ōnuku Marae was a surprise, Tainui said, rejecting criticism it showed cowardice.

"We have a way of doing things down here. He will certainly receive a strong message… his decision to come is his decision to come."

International relations

Elsewhere in the interview on Morning Report, Luxon was asked about a prominent US Senator sharing misinformation about New Zealand's treatment of Israeli visitors.

Ted Cruz cited an article from Israeli news outlet Haaretz, which suggested Israelis were being forced to "provide details of their service in the Israel Defense Forces to apply for visas for New Zealand".

"It's difficult to treat New Zealand as a normal ally within the American alliance system, when they denigrate and punish Israeli citizens for defending themselves and their country from Iranian-controlled terrorists," Texas Senator Ted Cruz posted on the social media platform X.

Haaretz later pulled the article after Foreign Minister Winston Peters called it "fake news", noting that Israelis did not even need visas to enter New Zealand, let alone talk about their military service.

Luxon said he had not personally spoken to Cruz about the claims.

"I did meet with Senator Cruz back in July in Washington. He understands very strongly the work of our two countries, and the work that we do together in the Indo-Pacific.

"And as you know, Israelis are very welcome to visit New Zealand. They don't have to apply for a visa under our visa waiver program, and it was good to see the story… has actually been subsequently taken down."

Luxon was also asked if New Zealand would condemn US President Donald Trump's slapping of tariffs on some of its closest allies and neighbours.

"Well, each leader acts in its own national interests, right?" Luxon said.

"I mean, President Trump's been elected with a mandate like all leaders to act in their national interests. I'm acting in New Zealand's national interest, which is why I'm pushing trade and investment hard.

"We'll continue to say, look, we think New Zealand and the world is best served in a world where trade flows freely, but look, as you've seen today, you know, there's other issues that the president's focused on around the border… you've seen that with respect to the Mexican tariffs this morning as well."

Trump delayed enacting tariffs on Mexico after the US' southern neighbour agreed to put more troops on the border "specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants", in his words.

Asked if would condemn the tariffs, Luxon declined.

"That's a decision for a US leader to make in the interests of the US, and it's for him to make."

As for ACT's threat to pull New Zealand out of the Paris climate agreement, Luxon said he would not.

"We're going really hard on economic growth and it's in our national interest to stay in Paris. We'll always put Kiwis first. It's really important. Every decision has to be done through the lens of our interests, but, you know, we don't want to risk that.

"We don't want to punish our farmers, and I want agriculture pumping, absolutely on fire, and I want the economy growing and we're just going to get poorer if we have less access to international markets, which is what would happen if we did that."

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