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The Prime Minister has been welcomed onto Ratana Pa near Wanganui for the annual birthday celebrations of the prophet Ratana.
The church was set up by the prophet in 1925 and now has 70,000 members.
Over the weekend thousands will gather for the religious celebration that has traditionally become the curtain raiser of the political year. And the tiny settlement swells from a population of 500 to about 10,000 for the occasion.
John Key arrived on Friday, flanked by 30 National MPs but unusually not by his support partner, the Maori Party.
"It suited my schedule a little bit better...there was no great conspiracy with that," says Key.
But Ratana is Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia's turf and her party will be welcomed on Sunday. She says arriving separately shows they are a stand-alone party.
"There have been times when people have got a bit confused about our relationship and we need to make it very clear that we are an independent voice," says Turia.
But many locals suggest the relationship may not be so sweet and there seems to be a bit of a split.
However Key played up their bond, saying the partnership is strong and they are delivering results.
The politicking is all part of the tradition of Ratana which has historic ties to Labour. But the PM says the warm welcome he received from locals shows that bond is now broken.
"I couldn't help but notice with the pot plants there are six blue and four red," quipped Key.
But there has been a strong endorsement for the National Party and Key at the start of the celebrations.
During the welcoming speeches, Minister Joe Everitt said the Ratana leadership simply want to thank Key and his party for all their work.
Everitt said that in the short time he has been in power, Key has done more for the Maori people than those before him. He said he recalls giving the PM a shopping list this time last year of what Ratana followers expected from National and he says they have all been fulfilled.
Key told the crowd improving race relations and the mana of the foreshore and seabed is high on the government's agenda.
