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Watch: 'Hands off'- kaumātua removed after interrupting Waitangi service

Author
David Fisher,
Publish Date
Mon, 6 Feb 2023, 9:27am

Watch: 'Hands off'- kaumātua removed after interrupting Waitangi service

Author
David Fisher,
Publish Date
Mon, 6 Feb 2023, 9:27am

An elderly man has been removed from a morning service at Waitangi after interrupting official proceedings.

Shortly after a number of prayers were said in various languages, a kaum膩tua in the crowd stood up and asked for three minutes of time.

It appeared to be unplanned, as people on the stage started murmuring and speaking over him.

鈥淎ll of these statutes in the Parliament of England assemble and all the dominions belonging in there too - and all of the laws and customs of this land,鈥 he said.

听鈥淭herefore you know, there is a difference between statute and law. Law is made by the atua (god/ancestors). The law of gravity was not made by man...there鈥檚 three groups of people assembled here today.

鈥淭here is the elected public servants and there is the appointed public servants - with the emphasis on public servant - and there is the public.鈥

Paumea McKay is ushered away from the Waitangi dawn service after interrupting proceedings.

Paumea McKay is ushered away from the Waitangi dawn service after interrupting proceedings.

As the kaum膩tua continues, a speaker on a microphone talks over him.

A police officer, Mid North regional district commander Inspector Rick Whiu, is then seen approaching the man, whispering 鈥渕atua鈥 to him, and attempting to take him by the arm.

The kaum膩tua yanks his arm away and says 鈥渉ands off鈥 before trying to speak again: 鈥淏efore this fella forces this 82-year-old kaum膩tua returned serviceman...鈥

Kaum膩tua Paumea McKay, 82, of Kaitaia. Photo / 九一星空无限

Kaum膩tua Paumea McKay, 82, of Kaitaia. Photo / 九一星空无限

The crowd suddenly erupts into song, standing together to sing a waiata as the elderly man is approached by a second man in a bid to move him away.

The kaum膩tua later identified himself to the Herald as 82-year-old Paumea McKay, of Kaitaia.

He said he stood up in accordance with tikanga M膩ori to raise what he believed was the difference between law and statute.

McKay said he had served in the NZ Special Air Service for five years as a younger man.

The battle, he said, is not between M膩ori and P膩keh膩, but both against what he described as a 鈥渃orrupt government鈥.

McKay made reference to police dragging him away from his seat in the service as a 鈥渢auiwi way of making you sit down鈥.

Not allowing kaum膩tua to speak 鈥榮ad鈥

In the course of pulling the man from the crowd, police pushed media aside as some attempted to block those capturing the incident on video.

The incident was captured on Whakaata M膩ori鈥檚 livestream coverage of Waitangi Day, which was hosted by two commentators, including veteran M膩ori journalist Tini Molyneux.

Molyneux described the incident as 鈥渟ad鈥 and said the kaum膩tua should have been allowed to speak, acknowledging M膩ori protocol and cultural custom, and specifically because others had been allowed to speak also.

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