Waitangi Day ceremonies at the grounds' lower Te Tii Marae, are seldom without controversy.

Moves by the secretary of Waitangi's Te Tii Marae to sell for $10,000 "exclusive broadcasting rights" to coverage of events there during New Zealand's national day has angered senior figures at Waitangi.

TVNZ and competitor Newshub both refused to pay for exclusive rights.

Marae chairman Ngati Kawa Taituha said the offer was made to Newshub first.

"It was just the first media person we could come up with. We had a list of all of them but we couldn't be bothered going through the whole list."​

Waitangi National Trust Board chairman Pita Paraone, a NZ First MP, said: "It's bloody ridiculous and I'm ashamed to be a descendent of Ngapuhi".

He urged media organisations not to pay the money sought.

If they wanted to give a koha that was fine.

"But for one moment I would not suggest they pay anything, particularly in response to this demand.

"It's greed and a lack of nous in terms of creating an amicable atmosphere between them and the rest of the community, not just the media."

He said it had made Ngapuhi "the laughing stock of the iwi community".

Nothing could be done this year, because the damage had been done even if Te Tii - also known as the lower marae - retracted the condition.

"Certainly for next year a lot of the goings on that have gone on to date so far, we certainly won't see. Because I am of the view that we should bypass the Waitangi marae, particularly if it remains under the leadership it has now, and we'll welcome our guests on the Treaty grounds."

He was yet to discuss that with the trust board.

Taituha said the decision to extend the offer was made by the committee organising the Waitangi Day event.

He would not comment on how the $10,000 figure was arrived at.

No decision had been made on where the money would go, "because no one accepted the offer", he said.

Asked if other media organisations would have been barred from the marae on Waitangi Day if one had accepted, Taituha said: "I guess".

The organisations would have needed to negotiate amongst themselves for access, he said.

All media organisations were welcome at Te Tii this year, provided they did not come empty handed, he said.

"We're open to anyone who wants to offer us something."

When asked for specific figures, Taituha said: "We'll see what hits the table and we'll look at it."

Ngapuhi elder King Taurua was also outraged by the costs and is on his way to Waitangi to "sort it out".

Taurua has previously said how ashamed and embarrassed he is by the whole handling of the events and Prime Minister Bill English's treatment.

"I would just walk on if I was (the media) and ignore them," he said. "I'm pissed off about the whole thing."

Labour Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis confirmed the figures being sought were $10,000 exclusive rights and $1200 general fee.

He said all media should "boycott and ignore them".

"Next year we'll do something completely different...it's just embarrassing for everyone."

It's understood Apiata told a 1 NEWS reporter he wanted to talk to the person who held "a chequebook", and said he was also prepared to offer media a position in a designated area on the marae grounds for $1200 to cover the powhiri.

The report follows similar controversies in the past, which included attempts to exclude the mainstream media and only let Maori media attend.

Antics on the day have rarely been successful, but last year officials barred an Australian Sky News reporter from going on Te Tii Marae grounds.

TVNZ has declared it does typically provide a "koha" or donation, of a few hundred dollars, to help with the ground's maintenance costs.

Newshub is reporting the marae's communications liaison, known simply as 'Tana', had said the tradition of media companies gifting a koha to the Marae was scrapped, in favour of a 'coverage fee'.