Focus on Politics for 8 February 2013

Compared with previous visits, this year's political visits to Waitangi ran relatively smoothly. However, infighting between local elders threatened to overshadow the Prime Minister's traditional welcome to the celebrations. Those fed up with the constant disruptions at the Waitangi Marae have suggested the events should be moved to take some heat out of the visits and avoid the protest that Waitangi Day inevitably attracts.