You couldn't have picked nicer weather for Waitangi Day. Wellington was wall-to-wall sun and hot as hell. I spent the day at Porirua's Festival of the Elements with an NZ Flag stall. A more multi-culural Waitangi Day, you are unlikely to see. Saw some excellent performances and heard some music from around the world. Greek dances, Korean ceremonials, Polynesian dancing, Patea Maori Club and Gary McCormick as MC. A truly Kiwi celebration.
We managed to sign over 500 people up on the petition. There were the usual "not interested" comments, but that's no biggie. Only one incident spooked me.
Early on, I had signed a couple of women up for the petition. About ten minutes later, she reappeared insisting on taking her name off the petition.
A big Maori fella wearing an Enough is Enough T-shirt turns up. He wants the Flag of the United Tribes as the national flag. "Right, sign up then," I replied. "It's already the national flag," he says. "No, it's not. But I'd have no problem if it was chosen as the national flag by Kiwis in a referendum. Sign here..."
"I'm not signing your paper. The (Flag of the United Tribes) is the national flag." His presumed wife viciously crossed out her signature and her daughter's. "You keep your papers to yourself," he warned.
Destiny and Free Will are mutually incompatible.
