It has been a tumultuous couple of years for race relations in this country, the disruptive Treaty Principles Bill and the rancorous Regulatory Standards Act being just two instances which have had people at loggerheads.
Maori, who have felt under siege from what many perceive as regressive policies introduced by the government, have loudly made their feelings known at Waitangi this year.
The highest profile southern marking of Waitangi Day - the triennial gathering organised by Ngai Tahu at one of the original Treaty signing sites, which this year was to be at Otakou marae - has been a casualty of that anger.
Kai Tahu have forgone their day in the sun to instead walk in solidarity with Ngai Tahu - a rare visit to the North Island by the South’s largest iwi.
That is regrettable, because the Otakou event attracts hundreds of people from all walks of life. As anyone who has attended will testify, it is a memorable and inspiring occasion.
It has a vision of what its Treaty festival should mean for the region and the message of kotahitaka it conveys - as upoko Edward Ellison expresses on the page opposite to this.
However, the runaka also feels it needs to make a stand in pursuit of collective justice, hence its pilgrimage to Waitangi this year.
Amid the annual commotion at Waitangi, the presence of Te Runaka o Otakou is likely to cause barely a ripple in the wider scheme of things, but the symbolism of their attendance sends a message to those paying attention to such things.
Ngai Tahu struggled for five generations to have its Treaty claim settled. Its journey since is widely regarded as being a shining exemplar of how an iwi can grow and flourish - for the betterment of all - if compensation is fair, and sensitively and sensibly managed.
Ngai Tahu has enormous economic and political importance in the South. It seldom uses that influence overtly, so bringing its disparate runaka together and travelling as a united force to the Treaty grounds is not to be ignored.
To quote Mr Ellison, the iwi feels that there has been ‘‘background rhetoric of misinformation and division broadcast using the state’s resources and offices, portraying Te Tiriti as a race-based privilege’’.
It has chosen to confront politicians about that, but is making its appeal not from a position of anger but hope.
‘‘Experience informs us that Te Tiriti is about relationships, elevating commonalities instead of differences, remembering what is important and knowing the difference between what takes us forward and what takes us backward, and acting on that,’’ Mr Ellison writes.
We concur. Despite all the blow and the bluster of politics, ordinary New Zealanders still somehow manage to just get on with sharing these shaky isles with each other.
That is the hope and the message of Waitangi. We are indeed all in this together, and the best way to progress our collective ambitions is side by side rather than head to head.
Something stinks
As if Wellington did not have enough water infrastructure issues already.
The capital’s pipe system is famously beleaguered, and on Wednesday its waste treatment plant went out in sympathy.
The capital’s rugged southern coast is now off limits to humans as the city deals with a catastrophic failure which resulted in the plant becoming flooded by the waste it is meant to treat. It could be months before the issue, the cause of which remains uncertain, is fixed.
The South also has precious coastlines, lakes and rivers to protect and some councils have already had a sneak preview of the issues Wellington now faces.
Many other cities and towns will be looking at Wellington and breathing a sigh of relief that there but for the grace go we.
A full inquiry will surely follow, but for now all councils should be running a rapid check of their wastewater systems to ensure no problems are manifesting themselves locally.
