Twenty-year-old Keshaan Te Waaka stands – for the first time – on the narrow bridge connecting New Zealand’s far north coastal town Paihia to the Waitangi treaty grounds, where 185 years ago, Māori chiefs and the British Crown forged a nation state.
Above her, the red, black and white flags of Māori independence flick and pop in the breeze. Hundreds of people amble behind her towards the grounds – some pausing to cheer on children launching themselves into the estuary hoping to create a colossal splash.
It has taken Te Waaka 10 hours of driving to attend her first Waitangi day event but there is no sign of fatigue.
“It’s amazing here, I love it, I’m just so happy,” she says, adding that the widespread symbols of Māori independence and self-determination was something to behold.
“Look how many [young Māori people] are here holding their flags – that’s something my mum’s generation would never have done.”
The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi – New Zealand’s founding document that is instrumental in upholding Māori rights – has been commemorated as a public holiday on 6 February since 1974, with events around the country and a formal multi-day celebration held at the Waitangi grounds.
The event is often a site for demonstrations, with Māori protesting against the lack of progress made in tackling inequality and ongoing breaches of the treaty. The arrival of the right-wing coalition government delegation on Wednesday was no exception, with protesters turning their backs on ministers as they delivered speeches.
Te Waaka joined her family in the protest action: “I was smiling and my mum was crying, so it shows the depth of generational effects this has had on us.”
Since taking office, the coalition government’s broader policy direction for Māori – including sweeping rollbacks to policies designed to improve Māori health and wellbeing – has prompted strident criticism and resulted in the largest ever protest over Māori rights in 2024. The rationale behind many of the government’s proposals is to end “race-based” policies, tackle crime and reduce bureaucracy, and the coalition has said it is committed to improving outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders.
The groundswell of resistance against the policies is driving many people to attend Waitangi for the first time – be it to protest or simply enjoy what many feel is the real Waitangi Day: a festive celebration of community, Māori language and identity, and a forum for discussions on sovereignty, history and change.
In the lower treaty grounds, behind the forum tent where wide-ranging discussions are under way, Scott McKenzie and his seven-year-old son are picking out pens and stickers emblazoned with the words Toitu Te Tiriti – ‘honour the treaty’.
McKenzie, who is Pākehā (New Zealand European), felt compelled to attend Waitangi for the first time last year in opposition to the government’s policies. This year, his son Whittaker is joining him for the first time.
“I wanted to give him a sense of the history of Aotearoa [New Zealand] and why this place is so significant,” McKenzie says. “It is like a festival but with this layer of depth, meaning and history – it is a beautiful blend of things.”
Earlier that morning, as the sun broke over the Waitangi peninsula and crowds shuffled away from the formal dawn ceremony to seek coffee and breakfast, a group of five Pākehā in their 70s and 80s explained why they had made the journey for the first time.
“I’m really disgusted with this government – I think we’ve gone back too far and this focus on equality, when there is no equity, is destructive,” Rosie Kibblewhite said.
Back on the bridge, crowds gather to watch a large procession of waka (canoes) slip through the still water. Aimee Maaka, Te Waaka’s aunty, who travelled from Wellington to attend the celebration for the first time, feels moved seeing Māori culture and identity take centre-stage.
“There is so much aroha [love], unity and sovereignty – it’s about togetherness, and just being Māori,” she says. “There is a lot going on in the world and our country and it is important – more than ever – to be present, to be staunch, to be here.”
