Great music, great kai and vibes – it's all on at Waitangi
Thursday, 2 February 2023
This year Waitangi Day celebrations make a comeback after last year’s virtual Waitangi. Events are spread across February 3-6, but most of the action will happen on Monday, February 6, the public holiday.
Read this story in te reo Māori and English here. / Pānuitia tēnei i te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā ki konei.
The festival is free and typically attracts between 20,000 and 30,000 visitors, including locals and people who have travelled from afar. The family-friendly event is free from smoking, vaping, alcohol and fizzy drinks. The all-outdoor event is wheelchair accessible and there are water trucks and sunscreen available. If this is your first time attending, here’s what you can expect.
**READ MORE:
* Waitangi kaitiaki and the enduring promise of Te Tiriti
* Explainer: There is only one marae at Waitangi
**
Getting there
Waitangi is a three-hour drive from Tāmaki Makaurau, or a 25-minute walk or two-minute drive from Paihia. On Waitangi Day, entry to the grounds is free and free bus services and free parking is provided at Bledisloe Domain. Buses will run from 4am to 6.30pm.
The Fullers Northland Ferries will be operating a Waitangi pier stopon their regular ferry services from Russell. On Waitangi Day, ferries will depart Russell on the hour and Waitangi (to Paihia) at 15 past the hour from 9.15am to 7.15pm.
Commemorations before noon
Formalities and Waitangi Day customs start early with the dawn ceremony at 5am at the Treaty Grounds. At Te Tii Marae – there will be karakia, a flag raising and a roll call of tūpuna who signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
At the Treaty Grounds, the flags are raised at 6.30am by the New Zealand Navy, followed by a roll call of tūpuna who signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840. This is usually attended by elders, leaders, and politicians, and entails hymns, religious readings and prayers.
Then there’s time to get comfortable and have some parakuihi (breakfast) before the waka parade at 9am on Te Tii Beach. Waitangi will host the barbecue breakfast after the dawn ceremony this year, a role previously reserved for the prime minister since 2018.
From 9am the much anticipated annual waka parade will commence on Te Tii Beach.
From 10 to noon, there will be an interdominational church service at the whare rūnanga, and The Waitangi Day 21 Gun Salute by the navy.
Music
On Waitangi Day, when the sun is high, the Treaty Grounds stage will be graced with the likes of MOHI, Paige, MELODOWNZ and Troy Kingi and The Promises, a fusion of Māori soul, pop, jazz, hip hop, reggae and rap.
You’ll also get to see the Whangārei-based Hātea Kapa Haka who are known for their melodic voices, and songwriter Don McGlashan who penned iconic Kiwi tunes like Nature and Anchor Me.
Stalls
From 9am-4pm daily, there will be market stalls selling arts and crafts and kai. According to organisers, the frybread, watermelon with icecream, and hāngi are classic festival staples.
Educational and informational organisations providing free resources will also be pitching tents to support whānau wellbeing. And there will be stalls demonstrating raranga (weaving), and offering rongoā (traditional Māori medicine) and mirimiri (massage therapy).
Performances
Between 9am and 5pm daily, The Waitangi 2023 competition continues from the previous day, for hapū to compete for the best haka, waiata, karaoke, and hip-hop game.
Forum tents at Te Tii Marae
From 9am-2pm daily, visitors can visit forum tent presentations relating to Te Tiriti and participate in wānanga about political action. The tents will be attended by haukāinga (local people), the Iwi Chairs Forum, local regional councils, government representatives, te Kīngitanga, and Te Taumata Kaumātua o Ngāpuhi.
Accessibility
The Waitangi team have made efforts to make the festival as accessible as possible for those with disabilities and mobility needs.
To get to the Treaty Grounds, there are eight shuttle buses, one of which is wheelchair-accessible. There is limited accessible car parking available in the main car park. The Treaty Grounds’ terrain is quite uneven with varying landscapes including boardwalks, concrete paths, tracks, beaches and lawns. However, there is wheelchair access throughout most of the grounds. There are also mobility toilets outside the bowling club, at Whare Waka Café and at Tahuaroa (behind Te Rau Aroha Museum at the Upper Grounds).
Assistance dogs are welcome on the Treaty Grounds and through the festival market stalls. There is no quiet space designed for those with sensory disabilities this year, however, it is something the Waitangi team will consider next year.
For those in the Deaf community, there will be New Zealand Sign Language interpreters for some of the festival programme. The two pōwhiri open to the public at the Treaty Grounds will have sign language interpreters, as well as the dawn ceremony and the interdenominational church service at Te Whare Rūnanga. There will also be sign language interpreters for Nga Whare Kōrero (panel discussions about political action), but not during the entertainment performances on February 6.
Regarding Covid safety for those who are immunocompromised, all ceremonial aspects are outside rather than inside Te Whare Rūnanga where the national service is held. There will be plenty of hand sanitiser available, and although there are no requirements to wear masks, people are welcome to wear them.