Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to be welcomed on to Waitangi Marae

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has made history by being welcomed on to the upper marae at Waitangi - with ceremonial assistance from her partner Clarke Gayford.

Ardern was welcomed on at the Upper Marae on the Treaty grounds mid-morning after already spending three days in Northland.

The powhiri for Ardern and other MPs began with a series of wero (challenges) for the Government parties.

Ardern's partner Clarke Gayford picked up the wero set down for Ardern, a leafy branch laid on the ground by a warrior.

It is customary for only males to take part in the wero, a process to determine whether the visitor is friend or foe.

NZ First Leader Winston Peters and Greens co-leader James Shaw also accepted wero.

The parties were greeted with a fierce haka by the warrior waka paddlers.

Ardern was escorted by Titewhai Harawira and Dame Naida Glavish and was seated on the maho (porch) at the front of the whare runanga (meeting house).

She will speak during the powhiri - the first female prime minister to do so.

A small crowd of about 150 gathered to watch, including curious locals and tourists. They applauded as the waka paddlers filed out.

Earlier today, Ardern told Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB she expected practical measures to follow from the extended visit. She had met with Northland mayors as well as Maori groups about the economic development needs of the region and Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little had met with Ngapuhi leaders to try to progress settlement talks.

Ardern and some of her senior ministers have been up since February 1 as part of a five-day visit to introduce her to Northland, in particular Maoridom.

She has been granted speaking rights on the marae this morning and will be the first female Prime Minister to do so.

Ardern told Breakfast it was a privilege and personally significant to her, having visited the grounds since she was a young child.

"But this is not a one-off for us. We will be back. It's one day of many in a year where we need to demonstrate we are fulfilling people's expectations."

She did not know if there would be protests but did not believe Waitangi Day should be perfect.

"One of the things I feel quite strongly about is that we seem to seek perfection in Waitangi Day. That for 364 days of the year we speak openly, we are quite frank about one another, we embrace our freedom and contest of ideas. And then on one day of the year if any of that happens we think we've somehow failed."

She said the contest of ideas should be celebrated. "So if there is protest, that won't bother me."

In 1998, former Labour leader Helen Clark was pushed to tears after there were objections to allowing her to speak on Te Tii Marae.

One of those objecting was Titewhai Harawira, who will this morning escort Ardern in the powhiri, as she has escorted previous Prime Ministers on to Te Tii Marae.

It is one of the few nods to Te Tii Marae, which had the hosting rights removed this year after a series of protests and problems with access for politicians and media.