• In this image taken from video, British High Commissioner Laura Clarke wipes away a tear after hugging a Maori elder during a visit to the town of Gisborne, in New Zealand, on Wednesday. Clarke expressed 'regret' that British explorers killed some of the first indigenous Maori they met 250 years ago. She met with Maori tribal leaders in the town as New Zealand marked the anniversary of Capt. James Cook and the crew of his ship Endeavour's arrival in 1769. | AP
    In this image taken from video, British High Commissioner Laura Clarke wipes away a tear after hugging a Maori elder during a visit to the town of Gisborne, in New Zealand, on Wednesday. Clarke expressed "regret" that British explorers killed some of the first indigenous Maori they met 250 years ago. She met with Maori tribal leaders in the town as New Zealand marked the anniversary of Capt. James Cook and the crew of his ship Endeavour's arrival in 1769. | AP

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – As commemorations kicked off to mark the landing of the British explorer James Cook 250 years ago, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Saturday called for her country to have a more open conversation about its history.

Britain delivered a “statement of regret” to indigenous Maori earlier this week for the killing of nine of their number immediately after Cook’s landing, although it did not offer a formal apology.

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