Waitangi Day live updates: 1000 people march in hīkoi
A hīkoi in defence of Te Tiriti o Waitangi is arriving to its final stop at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to its own chant of: “Two, four, six, eight, this government is out the gate”.The march left Te Rēinga Wairua [Cape Reinga] at dawn on February 2 and reached Te Tii Marae this morning.
Its mission is a fight against any planned changes to New Zealand’s founding document. About 1000 people are involved in the Toitu te Tiriti hīkoi, which was formally welcomed to Te Tii with a pōwhiri.
It follows thousands flocking to Te Whare Rūnanga for the Waitangi Day dawn ceremony this morning where political and community leaders offered prayers and readings to the crowd.
This morning, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters hit out at his treatment at Waitangi saying it was the “worst display” and that Ngāpuhi let themselves down.
Peters, who was back in Auckland today ahead of a trip to the Pacific in his capacity as Foreign Minister, told Newstalk ZB this morning he believed it was “sheer politics” driving the response after his brief address at Waitangi yesterday was interrupted by the audience.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW LIVE BLOG
Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau speaks at Waitangi Park
Sarah Bowen
Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau spoke at Waitangi Park in the capital this afternoon and said it was the biggest crowd she has seen there for the celebrations.
"And I know it's because te Tiriti is currently under threat by our current government and I'm upset and I know that you're upset too but that's why it's more important than ever that we have to come together as a community and support te Tiriti."
"And I want to promise you at a local government level, at a city level, as your mayor, and as our Māori mayor, just had to throw that in, I promise you that we will uphold te Tiriti."
Crowds grow for Waitangi Day concerts
Sarah Bowen
Organisers report crowds of over 35,000 people already in Parrs Park for the Waitangi Day free concert. This number may double throughout the day.
Hīkoi arrives at Wellington’s Waitangi Park.
Sarah Bowen
'Emotional' moment for French tourists
Sarah Bowen
Raphael Dabat and Camille Nadal are French tourists who just happened to stumble into Waitangi on Waitangi Day and got to see, first hand, the emotion this year.
"We didn’t have the political or cultural context, but we can feel lots of emotions.“ they said, "a bit of anger, a bit of love."
“It’s obviously super emotional.”
“We are very grateful, we just want to learn more now.”
Waitangi Day hīkoi to arrive at Treaty grounds to defend Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Sarah Bowen
A hīkoi in defence of Te Tiriti o Waitangi has arrived at its final stop in the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to its own chant of: “Two, four, six, eight, this government is out the gate”.
The march left Te Rēinga Wairua [Cape Reinga] at dawn on February 2 and reached the grounds this morning. Its mission is a fight against any planned changes to New Zealand’s founding document.
Read more here:
Hip hop dancers draw crowds
Sarah Bowen
Down at market stalls, near the Ngati Rahiri Maori Komiti are some entertainment.
Wayne Bridger is supporting his two granddaughters Imy and Raina who are performing in the “Hardcore” Hiphop group from Whangarei. Bridger says they’ve been coming up to Waitangi for the past three years and they love it cause of the big crowds.
Rueben Taipari gives thanks to all who came on the hīkoi
Sarah Bowen
Organisers have given thanks to all who came on the hīkoi, to Pākehā, Māori and Asians, of any background.
"The only thing this government will listen to is our voice as one, united,” said Rueben Taipari.
Taipari also encouraged everyone to stay in the resistance.
"The challenge ahead for us against this government is huge but it’s just another government. It doesn’t have anything; it doesn’t have mana, it doesn’t have culture, it doesn’t even have whenua -it’s our whenua. The call to kotahitanga is a big one,”
Victorian dress worn as a sign of unity at Waitangi
Sarah Bowen
Craig Jepson and Jeanenette Reid who are attending Waitangi in Victorian era clothes in celebration of Waitangi, conveying a message of unity.
Horse riders struggle to get across the bridge to the ceremony
Sarah Bowen
Transport may need to be organised to help horse riders get across to the ceremony.
The horses need water and the protestors are trying to organise how the horses will cross the bridge.
Originally they were going to turn around back to the way they came.
The horses have come 30kms and have not had a drink.
Painter brings atmosphere alive
Sarah Bowen
Chris Dews from Ōtaki supporting the cause - “the treaty is like a painting once signed it’s done”.
Protest at Dunedin's Octogan
Sarah Bowen
Crowds have gathered in Dunedin to support the hīkoi at Waitangi.
Hīkoi welcomed on to Te Whare Rūnanga
Sarah Bowen
Waitangi holds special place in heart for stall vendors
Sarah Bowen
Mitzi Shwenke-Fidow and her husband John Fidow have been coming to Waitangi for the last 8 years as stall vendors.
The stall is called Tuli Pasifiks selling Māori and Samoan crafts.
She said they keep coming back to Waitangi because they enjoy the atmosphere and kaupapa.
“We’re all the same and we don’t come here for the politics. We’re here because our grandson has whakapapa to Ngāti Hine.”
Hīkoi moving onto the marae
Sarah Bowen
Hīkoi moving onto the marae. It is silent apart from a sole conch shell. The hīkoi is so wide it’s struggling to get through.
Asian community shows up in support
Sarah Bowen
Brian Tamaki and Destiny Church arrive
Sarah Bowen
Brian Tamaki and Destiny Church members have made their way to the front of the crowds at Waitangi upper grounds.
Tamaki and others in front of the marae have been asked by Hone Harawira to move out of the day so the hīkoi group can come onto the marae.
Sarah Bowen
Sarah Bowen
Solemn atmosphere at Waitangi
Sarah Bowen
The hīkoi has arrived on to the grounds close to Te Whare Rūnanga. The atmosphere is somewhat solemn, with those leading the group holding framed photos of loved ones who’d passed away.
The hīkoi has advanced on to Upper Grounds but Bishop The Rt Rev Te Kitohi Pikaahu has reassured karakia attendees that that hikoi will wait until the service is finished.
Newcomers honour the Treaty at Waitangi
Sarah Bowen
Nivana Andrews who is of Maori descent has brought her Tongan Partner Mikey Punuauga and their son ‘Antonio Kivalu to Waitangi for the first time.
“I'm overwhelmed to be here. There's so much people or my people and especially to bring my partner and my son for the first time… yeah, I'm just here to bring them for their first time and enjoy everyone's support,” says Andrews
“Honestly, thank you for having me here. It's an honour to be here. If it wasn't for this beautiful day, we wouldn't be here but thank God for this beautiful day,” says Punuauga on his first time at Waitangi.
Dame Claudia Orange offer her thoughts on Treaty politics
Sarah Bowen
Dame Claudia Orange is recognised as one of the country's top experts on the Treaty, after her 1987 book on the subject became an instant bestseller.
She joins The Front Page today to discuss the importance of Waitangi Day and offer her thoughts on the debates over principles and the Treaty's role in politics today.
The hīkoi enter the Upper Treaty Grounds
Sarah Bowen
Hīkoi chant: “2,4,6,8 this Government is out the gate”
Sarah Bowen
The Hīkoi has begun a chant across the grounds: “2,4,6,8 this Government is out the gate”
Also chanting: “Toitu te Tiriti. Toitu He Whakaputanga. Hīkoi mana a Tiriti. Hīkoi manamokopuna. Hīkoi manawhenua.
Hīkoi mana Moana.
Numbers have now swelled to over 1000.
'Nan up' arrives with Destiny Church
Sarah Bowen
Liz Fletcher Iwi: Tuhoe
Fletcher has just arrived in Waitangi, coming off the bus with the “Legacy Ministry.” The ministry for Nannies is also known as “Nan Up”.
The busload has come from Auckland, Destiny Church.“We were singing all the way up and we are here on the grounds. We should be here because there was a covenant between NZ and the crown.”
Volunteers step up for Waitangi
Sarah Bowen
Scarlet MokarakaIwi: Ngati Whakaeke
Since last Thursday, volunteers from the Marae (she said Tou Rangatira, the Waitangi Marae) have been giving out food and have catered for the large numbers expected to come through.
“I think it’s the best way to experience Waitangi is by getting in and doing the mahi. So that’s why I have put my hand up to come and awhi and give out food because in the spirit of kotahitanga I think that’s the best way I could have experienced everything that’s happening.”
The hīkoi on Waitangi grounds
Sarah Bowen
Moea Armstrong is part of the hikoi with her activist group called Treaty Education.
Their group educates non-Māori on the treaty.
She said their banner is a show of support by non-Māori for Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“The idea that the government can mess with the treaty is really abhorrent to us.”
“It’s saying pretty much erasing Article 2 rights, collective rights.”
Armstrong said the English text of the treaty talks about total sovereignty which is not correct.
Sarah Bowen
Sarah Bowen
Karakia started at Te Whare Rūnanga as we wait for the hīkoi to arrive.
The hīkoi has crossed Waitangi Bridge
Sarah Bowen
The hīkoi is now stretching several hundred metres, across Waitangi Bridge and beyond.
Traffic delays some ceremony
Ebba Strand
Karakia will go ahead at 10am.
The hikoi will wait until after karakia before coming on to the marae.
Gridlock at the bridge—both ends.
Ebba Strand
The hīkoi is now moving with earnest towards Waitangi Bridge.
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Shane Jones & his whānau donated kai for the 300+ kaihoe (paddlers) today. Plus, it’s 50th anniversary of Ngatokimatawhaorua being launched (the waka)
Traffic update for Waitangi
Ebba Strand
There is still significant traffic backup from the Puketona Junction Roundabout to Haruru. The Northern Advocate understands vehicles have been reported driving on the wrong side of the road to get past and performers due at Waitangi are stuck in queues.
Hīkoi protest heads up to Upper Marae
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Wetini Mitai-Ngatai (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi and Whakatohea) said we are mobilised now because of the government’s policies affecting Māori.
“We’re standing up against corruption and deception.”
“Right now it’s imperative that we do something about it now, otherwise there won’t be a future as we know it.”
“We’re here to stop those things happening ever again.”
Ebba Strand
Dame Claudia Orange on the evolutionary nature of Te Tiriti and her hopes for Waitangi
Ebba Strand
Interpretations of Te Tiriti - or The Treaty of Waitangi - are some of the most important discussions in Aotearoa’s history.
And today, as politicians, academics and Māori leaders converge on the site where the documents were signed in 1840, friction surrounding it is expected to be front and centre.
Read more about it here:
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Thousands have gathered to watch the waka procession at Waitangi, including some from the hīkoi protest who wanted to watch the action before they march to the upper grounds.
The waka have paddled out at Waitangi
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Christopher Luxon’s outrageous Waitangi speech - Simon Wilson
Ebba Strand
Outrageous? Clever? Was it both? Whatever you think about the Prime Minister’s speech at Waitangi yesterday, his message could not have been clearer. We do not want to talk about the Treaty of Waitangi, and we do not want to talk about te reo. So we’re not going to.
Read more of Simon Wilson's opinion piece here:
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
The hīkoi is welcomed to Te tii
Ebba Strand
The hīkoi is now taking part in a pōwhiri, formally welcoming them to Te Tii. Around 700 people are taking part. The welcoming committee is speaking in te reo about the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and He Whakaputanga.
Waitangi Day: Thousands expected at South Island’s longest-running commemoration
Ebba Strand
Thousands are expected to attend the South Island’s longest-running Waitangi Day commemoration in Banks Peninsula’s Okains Bay today, following two years of Covid-19-related cancellations.
The community event - co-hosted by Okains Bay Museum and Te Rūnanga o Koukourarata - will be free for the first time since it began in 1976.
Read more here.
Ebba Strand
Around 700 people are taking part. The welcoming committee is speaking in te reo about the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and He Whakaputanga.
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
The hīkoi arrives at Waitangi
Ebba Strand
The hīkoi is being welcomed onto Te Tii Marae. There are now an estimated 700 people involved.
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Hundreds more people have joined the hīkoi now, approximately 600. The hīkoi is on the last stretch to Te Tii Marae.
Ebba Strand
Horse riders travel to Treaty grounds.
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Traffic warning
Ebba Strand
Northland Police are reminding those in the Bay of Islands this morning there is heavy traffic congestion around Waitangi and surrounding areas.
Those heading to celebrations at the Treaty Grounds today are asked to travel via Puketona, and take advantage of the parking and shuttle buses into Waitangi from Bledisloe Domain.
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Two free concerts across Tāmaki Makaurau to keep the whānau rocking
Ebba Strand
Urban Māori organisations Whānau Waipareira and the Manukau Urban Māori Authority (Muma) have got Tāmaki Makaurau covered with music to celebrate Waitangi Day today.
Out South, Muma is putting on a free whānau friendly concert at the Manukau Sports Bowl, starting at 8am.
Entertainers include Savage, Che Fu & the Kratez, Annie Crummer and Lost Tribe Aotearoa.
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Winston Peters hits out at his treatment at Waitangi
Ebba Strand
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, who is back in Auckland after visiting Waiting yesterday, told Newstalk ZB he had been at Waitangi for many years and this year had been the "worst display" and Ngāpuhi let themselves down.
He said on a marae people hear each other out and he believed “sheer politics” was driving the response.
He said no one was challenging that the Treaty was sacrosanct.
Waitangi grounds wake up
Ebba Strand
Hamish Fletcher
The New Zealand flag is raised at the Treaty Grounds.
Hamish Fletcher
The crowd sings the national anthem.
Hamish Fletcher
Hamish Fletcher
Hamish Fletcher
Meanwhile, a hikoi led by activist and environmentalist Reuben Taipari Reuben is shortly leaving to walk the last leg to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.
Hamish Fletcher
Crowd boos Seymour
Hamish Fletcher
The crowd booed Act leader David Seymour while he asked people to pray together.
"Sit down," one person shouted.
Seymour spoke of the people arriving in New Zealand today and how the country should provide for all.
Seymour hoped the Treaty and He Whakaputanga would help ensure equal rights for all.
His speech was brief and he ended it without any further negative reaction from the crowd.
Hamish Fletcher
Hamish Fletcher
Labour leader Chris Hipkins is up next.
He said the Treaty should be our guide to navigate partnership and enhance understanding between Māori and non-Māori.
“Inspire us to be kind, to be compassionate, to be grateful, to do good.”
His effort earned some applause
Hamish Fletcher
Hamish Fletcher
Luxon is now reading a bible verse from Corinthians, which he felt spoke to unity.
It speaks to the many parts of the body that make up one being, all dependent on each other to function as a whole.
“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.”
Hamish Fletcher
Hamish Fletcher
The sun is starting to light the ranges around the Bay of Islands as we approach dawn.
Hamish Fletcher
Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, of Ngāpuhi, is now offering a prayer. It’s expected Luxon and other politicians and Crown representatives will speak after her.
Hamish Fletcher
Theologian and historian Dr Alistair Reese, of Te Karuwha, gave a reading and is also speaking to the origin of the Treaty and its application today.
Describing the Treaty’s foundation as a “love story”, Reese said he believed the Treaty needed to be an “act of love” by the Government to Māori, which was met with murmurs of affirmation from some onlookers.“
It’s time to honour the Treaty and unequivocally restore its mana.”
Hamish Fletcher
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is sitting on the right-hand side of the marae’s mahau (verandah) as the crowd see it.
On his left as the crowd see it, he sits with Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro and her husband Richard Davies.
On Luxon’s right sits Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann, Act leader David Seymour, Labour leader Chris Hipkins and Health Minister Dr Shane Reti who is from Northland.
Hamish Fletcher
Angela Pehi, of Te Whanaupani, is set to sing a waiata named “I Will Rescue You”.
Prior to beginning, Pehi admitted to the crowd she had been someone who needed rescuing as a former alcoholic. She appealed to those who might be similarly struggling.
“If that’s you, accept Jesus into your heart because that’s what I did.”
Upon proclaiming she was 18 years sober, the crowd clapped in support.
Hamish Fletcher
A wide range of people are present at the dawn ceremony, including babies, young children and groups together, such as this group from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Wairarapa.
Hamish Fletcher
Several speakers are reciting readings in both English and te reo.
It’s a very still morning for the thousands who have gathered.
Aside from the speakers, the only sounds that can be heard are onlookers rustling in their chairs, the gentle hum of the generators powering floodlights and the odd baby’s cry.
There is a small cool breeze, a far cry from the heat of yesterday although hot conditions are expected later today.People are still coming into the grounds
Far North mayor Moko Tepania is one of those who has been invited to do a reading.
Hamish Fletcher
STORY CONTINUES
A lead organiser of Waitangi Day celebrations believes Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s speech on Monday didn’t sufficiently address Te Tiriti o Waitangi but the Government has earned an apology for the disruption caused by some in the thousands watching proceedings in Waitangi.
Luxon stuck to his script on the mahau (verandah) of the Te Whare Runanga marae at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds as he repeated his regular kōrero about improving outcomes for Māori as he envisioned New Zealand in 2040 when the Te Tiriti turned 200.
The scale of the concern expressed in the past two days led Waitangi National Trust board chairman Pita Tipene to consider Luxon’s speech yesterday to be lacking in addressing the concerns of Māoridom.
However, Tipene accepted there had been “glacial” progress today and looked forward to further discussion.
He also offered an apology to the Government for the disruption caused by some in the thousands who gathered to watch the Crown’s pōwhiri on a stunning Bay of Islands day, saying interruptions to kaikōrero (speeches) from Act leader David Seymour and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters were not appropriate.
Aside from a few protesters who had to be restrained by security, the main source of disruption came from hecklers and those who sang in an attempt to drown out Seymour.
The apology may be less applicable to Peters, who only rose to the challenge set down by hecklers, telling them to “get an education”, “stop the hysteria” and lecturing them on respecting speakers on the marae. His speech, brought forward because he had to leave early, ended with the crowd chanting “e noho” (sit down) at the man from Northland iwi Ngātiwai.
The speeches from the Crown followed several powerful challenges from various speakers who urged the Government to honour Māori self-determination, uphold the Treaty, secure a settlement for Ngāpuhi and have a central focus on unity.
In what were the final words of official proceedings, Waitangi National Trust board chief executive Ben Dalton summed up the day by saying, “We still have a long way to go” and “We’re not speaking the same language yet”.
Luxon’s speech was anchored in the outcomes he hoped to improve for Māori, a common theme that had dominated many of Luxon’s contributions to the country’s debate on race relations and the place of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
He made no mention of Act’s Treaty Principles Bill - one of the more contentious aspects of the Government’s Māori agenda that aimed to redefine the Treaty’s principles which had been interpreted by the courts for decades.
Much of the kōrero through the pōwhiri for the Opposition and the Kīngitanga in recent days had focused on how best New Zealand honours Te Tiriti.
Speaking to media at the end of the day, Luxon defended the lack of focus on Te Tiriti, saying again he was responding to the two questions put to him - what was his vision of New Zealand in 2040, and what needs to happen to make that a reality.
“I was tasked with talking about two questions ... and that’s what we did.”
Early in his speech, Luxon referenced the country’s “struggle” to understand the “intentions and expectations” of those who signed Te Tiriti but quickly moved on to listing Māori inequities and his desire to address them, particularly in education which worried him most.
“How can a first-world country have 55 per cent of our kids not attending school regularly and our children not knowing the basics well? It’s a future moral and economic disaster,” Luxon said.
“So, our Government will do its part by backing our Kaupapa Māori education system, reintroducing partnership schools, investing in structured literacy, teaching the basics well, and setting clear targets focused on attendance and achievement so that our kids can have the futures they all deserve.”
Earlier in the day, Kīngitanga spokesman Rahui Papa had countered Luxon’s position on this, saying truancy was only solved through addressing the systemic issues hindering Māori participation and success in education.
All in all, Luxon said he came away “very impressed” that New Zealand could hold an event with a range of people and a range of views in one place.
Tipene expressed disappointment that Luxon didn’t speak more of New Zealand’s founding documents and instead provided a generic vision for the country.
“We’re talking past each other,” he said.
He did accept “glacial” progress had been made today and promised “earnest discussions” in the future.
Tipene conceded that some in the crowd that surrounded the marae had not behaved appropriately and he offered an apology to the Government, saying the disruption of heckling and drowning out was “very unfair”, particularly for Act MP Nicole McKee, who spoke from the mahau (verandah) completely in te reo.
He accepted that Ngāpuhi leaders should have intervened earlier to cease the interruptions.
While the audience had grown unsettled through McKee’s speech, it wasn’t until Peters took to the microphone that onlookers found their full voice as the Deputy Prime Minister essentially engaged in a shouting match with those watching.
His first mission was to clarify misinterpretations of the Government’s intentions: “Whoever said we were getting rid of the Treaty?
“So stop the crap, stop the nonsense and stop the hysteria.
“If you think separatism and division will take us to 2040, you’ve got another think coming.”
Peters then employed a familiar tactic of his by lecturing hecklers on significant historical events for Māori, including those he’d been involved in, in a way of showing his authority.
“Some of us have been fighting for land rights for decades and where were you?
“Get an education.”
Peters, who had to leave proceedings for another engagement as part of his Foreign Affairs duties, concluded by bemoaning the lack of respect he was afforded.
“I used to go to marae where they had tikanga [custom] and respect, not people shouting at the speaker,” Peters yelled at his critics.
Tipene indicated to media he was less apologetic to Peters, who he thought was “combative” and that if he was prepared to “throw an uppercut” then he was always “going to get one back”.
This was echoed by NZ First MP and son of the north Shane Jones, who was not surprised by the reaction of his leader or the crowd.
“I think both Winston and I know people have pent-up emotions ... people are on edge.”
On several occasions, Dalton reminded the crowd to be respectful ahead of Seymour’s speech - an acknowledgement of the anticipation for the first time the Act leader would have spoken about Māori issues in such a public forum, given he’d opted not to attend Rātana last month.
Seymour called for “respect” and “facts” in his denial of incorrect claims he’d called Māori unwashed and had avoided using te reo by having McKee make her earlier speech.
He swiftly moved on to the criticism his Government had copped over recent days, which included being called “spiders”, “a den of lions” and “sandflies” eating at the founding documents.
“Not even Donald Trump is calling his opponents insects yet,” Seymour said.
Seymour was initially interrupted by protesters singing but was aided by iwi leaders telling the crowd to quieten.
That lasted a short time before the singing resumed. Seymour pushed on, not letting the disruption stem his flow in advocating for a “beautiful country” with equal rights for all.
“We will fight for the rights of every single person whether they have been here for 1000 years or just got here yesterday.”
Speaking afterwards to media, Seymour believed only a “small minority” had booed him but “overwhelmingly” it was a positive exchange of ideas.
“There were people who said we wanted to take it [Te Tiriti] away, that we wanted to belittle the Māori language. That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Seymour said.
Much of that kōrero came from former politician and renowned activist Hone Harawira, who threatened the Government would not get away with gutting the Treaty or the Māori language.
“You want to stop te reo? That horse has bolted,” he declared.
He also had a succinct and colourful message for Seymour about his Treaty Principles Bill.
“You and your s*****-arse bill are going down the toilet,” Harawira said to plenty of laughter.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.