Friday, 30 January 2009 - Issue 56

Waitangi Day celebrations

Waitangi Day this year is shaping up to be an awesome occasion in our city. In recent years the Waitangi day celebrations at Hayman Park have become increasingly large and a celebration and great gathering of the local community.

Last year, at least 33,000 people attended the celebration. However this year we are shifting the celebration to the TelstraClear Pacific events centre in the outside grounds.
Hayman Park is making way for the new connection between the southern and south western motorways so time has come to move this celebration to Telstra. Most of the celebration will take place in the big stage to the north of the events centre and some in the entrance area to the Genesis theatre.

There's a brilliant line up of artists and we are not only going to host the Prime Minister John Key on his first formal visit to our city, but we are also going to enjoy the company of the Governor General, Anand Satyanand and his wife Susan.

The attendance of the two senior leaders in our country on this occasion is a reflection on how well the celebration of Manukau is carried out through Toi o Manukau, and also a reflection of the importance the Government and Queen's representative put on the occasion being celebrated within our multi cultural community and particular with the significant number of Maori who reside in our city.

I've had a number of people talking to me about coming along to the occasion and I'm encouraging them to come in early, make sure they bring an umbrella and plenty of suntan lotion because the day will I'm sure be hot and the occasion musical and symbolic.

See you there,

Len Brown
Mayor of Manukau

ENDS

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