01 February 2011
For Immediate Release

Ngapuhi leader blasts “racist” media charge at Waitangi

Ngapuhi leader David Rankin has made a scathing attack on Te Tii Marai at Waitangi for threatening to charge media $1000.00 to enter the marae and report on events at Waitangi Day this year.

“These self-appointed bullies are doing great harm to our people,” says Mr Rankin. “Many of our people outside of Northland will be depending on the nightly news for information about Waitangi Day, and this small unelected group are threatening to ban media coverage for the sake of their own personal greed” .

Mr. Rankin also labelled the $1000 charge as racist because it will only apply to Pakeha media outlets and not any Maori media. “I expect Joris De Bres (the Race Relations Officer) to make a stand on this issue. This is cultural apartheid, and we can’t allow it”, says Mr Rankin.

Another aspect of the $1000 charge that concerns Mr Rankin is accountability of the money collected. “Last year”, he points out, “this was tried on a smaller scale, and no record has been left of where the money went to. This is not a koha, it is deemed as income because it is demanded from people. It goes completely against our culture of hospitality to visitors, regardless of where they are from”.

Mr Rankin has announced that the day before Waitangi Day, he will be issuing notifications to all media outlets that the marae will be open to them without charge. He will also be initiating disciplinary action against those threatening to charge the media,

ENDS

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