British High Commissioner:sentiment not the words that matter

The British High Commissioner has been quick to dismiss questions about why her message of regret to Gisborne iwi is not an apology. In two ceremonies yesterday Laura Clarke told the people of Ngati Oneone, Rongowhakaata, Te Aitanga a Mahaki and Ngai-Tamanuhiri, her government acknowledges the deaths of nine men killed during the first encounters with James Cook 250 years ago. She told our reporter Anusha Bradley it's the sentiment that matters rather than exactly what words are used.