'The feeling was better': Māori leaders sense hope rather than conflict at Waitangi

Run-up to Thursday's commemorations are usually marked by clashes over Indigenous rights, but this year has been different

The days and hours leading up to New Zealand's national commemoration day at Waitangi have often been fraught with tension: MAori leaders have a moment in the spotlight to call the government to account, and politicians compete to woo them - while trying to seem as though they are above politics.

But the MAori leaders who gathered in Northland's Bay of Islands on Wednesday - where they met prime minister Jacinda Ardern to discuss the most pressing issues - said the mood at Waitangi had been the most optimistic and positive they could remember, for some in decades of attendance.