Celebrating Waitangi Day
Waitangi Day is a public holiday held on 6 February every year to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi; New Zealand's founding document signed on that very date in 1840.
Official celebrations are held at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Waitangi, Northland. Maori cultural performances, speeches from Māori and Pakeha (European) dignitaries and a naval salute are all part of the day. Ngatokimatawhaorua, one of the world’s largest Māori ceremonial war canoes, is also launched as part of the annual celebrations.
Waitangi also hosts a festival from 3 to 6 February. 2008’s festival features a line up of musicians and entertainers sure to bring a party atmosphere to the Treaty Grounds.
Ray Woolf, one of New Zealand’s best-known singers will play hits from the sixties and seventies. Also performing is contemporary Northland band 1814, who return to play their reggae, hip-hop and funky blues. Kapa haka and other traditional Maori customs will complement the ceremony and spectacle brought by the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Waitangi Day celebrations also happen all around the country.
In Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, the national day is celebrated at the city’s birthplace. In 1841, chiefs from Auckland Maori tribe Ngati Whatua invited Governor Hobson to the Okahu Bay Domain to create the city.
Every year on 6 February, visitors are welcomed onto the grounds of the Domain by a traditional Maori greeting ceremony (haka powhiri). Classic sailing yachts, waka (war canoes) and contemporary boats arrive at Okahu Bay to join in the welcoming ceremony by the hosts Ngati Whatua o Orakei.
Auckland is also home to the country’s biggest Waitangi Day music festival; Groove in the Park. An event for young and old, Groove in the Park celebrates the cultural diversity of New Zealand with a line up of international and local acts such as Supergroove, Axwell, Nathan Haines and Tama Waipera.
Wellington, the nation’s capital, also puts on an event that celebrates Waitangi Day by recognising New Zealand’s diversity. At Waitangi Park, a fusion of different cultures is celebrated in a mix of entertainment, arts and crafts, as well as delicious food. The crowd is kept entertained by performances of kapa haka, drumming, and dance.
Wellingtonians can also attend One Love 2008: Aroha Tahi. One Love 2008 presents a day of funky music, chilled vibes and unity. The line up includes local and international acts such as J Star, Hikoikoi and The Yoots. An eclectic mix of art, craft, fashion and food stalls guarantee good shopping.
In geothermal Rotorua, Waitangi Day is commemorated with an event called Whakanuia. A Maori word, Whakanuia’s meaning is ‘to acknowledge, promote and celebrate’ - which reflects the very theme of this event. Visitors learn how to prepare a traditional whaka hangi (traditional Maori dish), as well as how to weave flax among other traditional Maori skills.
In sports mad Christchurch, the South Island’s largest city, State Shield Cricket is held every Waitangi Day.
Further south in Dunedin, the Outram Rodeo at Doherty’s Farm is a Waitangi event with a real difference. Testament is paid to the south’s ‘Wild West’ heritage in a festival of cowboy hats and bucking broncos.
The New Zealand Whitestone Cheese Rolling Competition attracts entrants from around the country. From the top of a steep hill, celebrity guests hurl four kilogram wheels of Winsor Blue cheese (a local brand). People known as ‘Cheese Rollers’ eagerly chase the wheels of cheese, glory goes to whoever catches a wheel.
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