Prime Minister Chris Luxon has used his Waitangi Day address to settle nerves over his government's attitude to Maori and the Treaty of Waitangi, insisting it would "honour the treaty and work in partnership with Maori".
New Zealand commemorates its national day on Thursday, Waitangi Day, marking 185 years since the signing of its foundational document in 1840.
At the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in the country's north, political and community leaders welcomed the day with a stately dawn service.
Later, hundreds took to the Bay of Islands waters in an impressive display of traditional waka (or canoe) paddling.
For the first time since 2017, the sitting prime minister is not at the birthplace of the modern nation on its national day, instead spending it 1000km south, at Akaroa.
Mr Luxon said it was important to him to spend Waitangi Day across the nation, choosing the scenic South Island peninsula this year, a family holiday spot.
"Akaroa is very dear to me - it was a place I used to tear around with my brothers during the long, hot Canterbury summers," he said.
"My children learned to swim (here) and I remember thinking then how very lucky we were to have the privilege of growing up in New Zealand."
The day can be one for reflection on New Zealand's progress as a nation, and particularly of the place of Maori, who have suffered dispossession and endured years of poor treatment at the hand of the state.
This year, Kiwis are doing so in the middle of a divisive national debate over the constitutional place of Maori from Mr Luxon's government: the Treaty Principles Bill.
The bill would strip away promises made to Maori under the treaty, including to special rights to natural resources, which - adding complexity and driving conflict - are different according to the treaty's two different texts, in English and Maori.
Those debates happened this year at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds without Mr Luxon, who allowed the bill to be introduced in parliament under a coalition deal with junior party ACT, but has pledged no further support for the bill.
Kiwis have made clear their disdain for the reform, with tens of thousands of protesters making the country's biggest-ever march on Wellington to oppose it.
In Akaroa, Mr Luxon acknowledged that division and championed the local Maori tribe, Ngai Tahu, in speech at the Maori meeting house where chiefs signed on to the treaty 185 years ago.
"When Ngai Tahu signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, there was hope for partnership and protection, however, a century of broken promises followed, and Ngai Tahu were disconnected from their land and people," he said.
"Despite this, you never gave up. You continued to fight for recognition, justice, and the restoration of what was lost, to preserve your culture, language, and identity.
"It culminated in the historic Ngai Tahu Settlement in 1998 ... the foundation for rebuilding Ngai Tahu as a thriving iwi, proud of its heritage, determined for future generations, and equipped with the tools to succeed."
Working with the natural resources offered by the settlement, Ngai Tahu now manages or holds investment in more than $NZ2 billion ($A1.8 billion) worth of businesses, including in fisheries and tourism.
Mr Luxon dovetailed Ngai Tahu's story with his government's ambition for "shared prosperity" and growth.
"As we look to the future, Ngai Tahu's achievements exemplify what is possible when a strong foundation of economic growth is in place," he said.
"The treaty is central to the history of New Zealand, and it is central to our future.
"The government's role is to honour the treaty, work in partnership with Maori, and ensure that the country continues in a spirit of kotahitanga (meaning unity)."
Further north, Maori leaders and political opponents lashed Mr Luxon for his no-show.
"The prime minister needs to be here," Waitangi National Trust Pita Tipene said.
