Far North mayor Wayne Brown says all New Zealanders should sit in on a Waitangi Tribunal hearing if they get the chance.
Mr Brown turned up at the Ngapuhi hearings in Kerikeri this week, after some pointed digs by claimants and lawyers last time about the lack of interest from councils.
The mayor replied that he had never been invited - and Ngati Hine elders made a point of asking him along to round two - involving the Whangaroa claims.
Mr Brown said he's glad he went because it was a humbling experience listening to what was going on and he likens to going to court 100 years after the event.
He said he assumed, like many people that the Tribunal hearings are just for the Crown and Maori - but in fact they're open to the public.
