Emails show David Seymour was invited to Koroneihana

An email from the Prime Minister’s chief of staff to David Seymour’s chief of staff regarding Te Kiingitanga’s Koroneihana events in August show the Act Party leader did receive an official invite to attend what would be the last official engagement with Kiingi Tuheitia before he passed away.
This is despite Seymour and his office repeatedly telling the public and journalists that the Act leader did not attend Koroneihana events because he was not invited.
However, Seymour was not included in a note from the Kiingitanga that went to all other political party leaders noting specifics about the day’s logistics, including a confirmation of the change of date.
Earlier this year, Seymour — the architect of the Government’s controversial Treaty Principles Bill — was called out for not attending Koroneihana events alongside the Prime Minister, deputy Prime Minister, and other senior politicians on Monday, August 19.
One of the key points of discussion of the day was his Treaty Principles Bill, which both National Party leader Christopher Luxon and senior NZ First MP Shane Jones attempted to distance themselves from. They both reiterated that their parties would not support the proposed legislation beyond its first reading and select committee process.
Speaking at Tūrangawaewae Marae during the Monday’s events, Waikato iwi leader Tukoroirangi Morgan gave an impassioned speech on deteriorating Māori-Crown relations and Seymour’s bill.
“We have one word to say to David Seymour: You can run and hide but we will always be here,” Morgan said.
At the time, Seymour responded to the criticism of his no-show by explaining he had not received an invitation to the Monday’s events with other politicians.
Kiingitanga representatives said Seymour — with all ministers and MPs — had been invited.
Just over two weeks later, Seymour attended Tuheitia’s tangi, and spoke on the paepae. Those speaking for the Kiingitanga and Waikato-Tainui acknowledged Seymour’s presence.
Kaikōrero Jeremy Tātere Macleod welcomed the Act leader to Tūrangawaewae. 
“If this is perhaps your first visit, it is with bitter sadness that you weren’t able to be here two weeks ago and to spend some time with our king, but you’ve arrived today.”
Following a report by Newsroom on te kiingi’s tangi, which noted Seymour’s previous absence from the Koroneihana events, Act Party chief of staff Andrew Ketels contacted Newsroom to say “it was very difficult for [Seymour] to attend the Monday when he was only ever invited to the Wednesday”.
When asked why both Luxon and Winston Peters (as well as other politicians from across the spectrum) knew to attend the Monday’s events, but that information was never passed onto Seymour, Ketels responded that he had “no idea”.
He said Seymour’s office had only ever received an invitation to attend Koroneihana events on the Wednesday. Essentially, Seymour’s non-attendance was not a snub; he was never invited.
“David was never invited to the Monday coronation,” Ketels said.
The chief of staff shared the invitation Seymour received to attend Wednesday’s events. This original invitation for the Wednesday was also sent to NZ First leader Winston Peters.
Emails released to Newsroom under the Official Information Act show that while the date for politicians to travel to Tūrangawaewae Marae changed from the Wednesday to the Monday, this information — including the full Kiingitanga invite — was shared directly with Ketels by the Prime Minister’s office in June.
On May 9, The Office of The Kiingitanga wrote to Christopher Luxon’s office to invite all ministers and MPs to attend Kiingi Tuheitia’s Koroneihana events on Monday, August 19.
The formal invitation that said: “At the command of Kiingi Tuheitia we extend to you, your Ministers, and Members of Parliament the invitation of Te Paki o Matariki. In doing so we note a specific poowhiri has been set aside for all Political Parties, Monday 19 August beginning at 1pm.”
On June 27, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Cameron Burrows, forwarded this invitation to Ketels and NZ First chief of Staff Darroch Ball.
“I’m assuming this has gone directly to your offices too, but just wanted to make sure you were aware,” Burrows wrote.
“Just working out what this might mean for Cabinet attendance that day.”
The official Kiingitanga invite was included as an attachment.
Other emails included in the Official Information Act response dealt with which MPs and ministers would be attending Koroneihana, how to organise remote Cabinet meetings around the day’s events, and the Prime Minister’s speech.
On July 17, the Prime Minister’s senior private secretary Marek Townley sent an “early heads-up” to Luxon’s cabinet colleagues to let them know their Monday meeting would be changed to 10am on August 19, to accommodate those heading to Waikato for Koroneihana.
Townley received a response from someone with a redacted email address — likely to be from NZ First — double-checking which day the PM was heading to Koroneihana.
“We have it set down for Wednesday 21 August,” they said.
Townley confirmed that Luxon would be attending on the Monday, noting that different events took place on different days of the week.
Attached to the email chain was the Kiingitanga’s invitation to Winston Peters, which had the date set down as Wednesday, August 21.
Later that same day, Luxon’s office received a further email from the Kiingitanga noting changes to scheduling, which included moving the pōwhiri to 2pm “to allow the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers to attend to their ministerial duties”.
It also confirmed all MPs were invited to attend the Koroneihana events on Monday, August 19 — again noting the date change from Wednesday, August 21.
The header of the attached Kiingitanga invitation shows it was also sent to Peters, Labour leader Chris Hipkins, Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick and Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi.
Seymour’s name was not on that list.
Newsroom asked Ketels and the Act Party to provide an explanation for why Seymour and his party had maintained they were never invited to Koroneihana events on the Monday when emails showed the invitation had been forwarded to them by the Prime Minister’s office.
The information about the timings of the Koroneihana events were shared again with all Cabinet ministers when noting the change of time for the weekly Monday Cabinet meeting.
Ketels did not provide an explanation, but reiterated that Seymour had never directly received an invitation from the Kiingitanga to attend the Monday’s events.