Celebrating Waitangi Day At Te Puia

Whānau are coming together, poi are swinging, Te Tiriti Wānanga are happening and cultural performances sing out across Rotowhio marae atea at Te Puia | New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute’s Waitangi Day event.

Over 1800 people booked their free tickets to attend the Waitangi Day celebration, in its third year.

Te Puia chief executive Tim Cossar said the event is a chance to share a fun and whānau friendly experience with good kai which resonates strongly with the public.

“Comments I’ve heard from manuhiri include that they like the vibe, the relaxed atmosphere, the educational elements and the whānau friendly approach. It’s really important for us to connect with our community in a meaningful way.

“One of the things we do on Waitangi Day is have wānanga with Tohunga on tikanga and history Te Waata Cribb for people who want to learn more about Te Tiriti and I attended one this morning. There was engagement from a diverse audience across a wide range of nationalities and the kōrero looked into how people interpret information from different cultural dimensions. Manuhiri in the wānanga were highly engaged, found it interesting and learnt something, which is an important part of the national discussion of Waitangi and what we are about as a nation.”

Te Puia General Manager Visitor Experience Denise Emery said the event is about whānau, an understanding of Māori culture and coming together.

“We have people from all races and cultures here today and we’re happy to bring them into our whānau and to show them that Waitangi Day is not something to shy away from, it’s something to celebrate together.”

Rotorua local Daniel Phillips attended the day with his seven and four-year old sons and said it was a great whānau day out, with activities for the kids including artistic taiaha design, poi, playing on the bouncy castle and having fun on the marae atea. He also attended the wānanga.

“Te Waata took us on a unique journey into the thoughts of the people at the time of the signing of Te Tiriti, with a focus on key words in the document such as Rangatira and rangatiratanga. I enjoyed learning more on tikanga and kawa and how important they are in the context of Te Tiriti.”

The day included fun riding on the trains for a Pōhutu Geyser loop ride, bouncy castles, face painting, a taonga market, cultural performances, a kai marketplace and New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute artists showcasing their craft as they worked on taonga and answered questions.

The organisation operates under the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Act 2020 – which includes a function to encourage, foster, and promote ahurea and toi Māori (culture and Māori arts) of New Zealand, which the Waitangi Day event aims to do.

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