It’s 180 years since the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi and to mark the milestone Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland Council is leading and supporting five exciting commemorative events.
“Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland Council is very proud of the way it works collaboratively with both mana whenua and mātāwaka to ensure that this significant time in New Zealand’s nationhood is commemorated every year,” says Councillor Alf Filipaina.
Waitangi ki Manukau opens at 9am on Thursday 6 February with a poignant public pōwhiri (arrive by 8.45am) and a bustling Māori village then bursts into life bringing food, crafts, games, learning, music and laughter. Everyone is welcome.
Feast on delicious kai freshly lifted from a hangi, practise your te reo, learn about our history and see the kids have their photo taken wearing traditional Māori moko and feather cloak.
The event at Hayman Park, which is part of the Music in Parks series, recognises Manukau’s history as a treaty signing location. It sees Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau join with the Manukau Urban Māori Authority to bring an exceptional line-up of music to the stage including, among others, Three Houses Down and General Fiyah, Aaradhna, 1814 and Sammy J.
Three Houses Down and 1814 are local reggae bands influenced by the political sentiment of the legendary Bob Marley, whose 75th birthday would have fallen on 6 February 2020.
In the west, Hoani Waititi Marae hosts Waitangi @ Waititi, bringing some of New Zealand’s finest musicians to the stage: Katchafire, KORA, Ardijah, 1814, Troy Kingi, Rei, Pieter T & Deach, Che Fu and the Crates, Foundation, Howie Morrison Jnr and Dj Rocky Ponting. There'll also be kai stalls, misting tents and rides for the tamariki.
At Ōkahu Bay in Ōrākei, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei hosts Waitangi Day ki Ōkahu, another free community event featuring live music, kai, arts and crafts, games, hauora (health) information and exhibitions for the whānau.
For the first time, North Shore brings a commemorative event to the area on Waitangi Day. Called North Shore 2020 Waitangi Summer Vibes, Awataha Marae in Northcote hosts food stalls, brought by Coatesville Markets, and a stage graced by the music of Kings, Savage and Shasta.
And leading into the big day, Aucklanders will head to vantage points at the edge of the Waitematā Harbour for five evenings of Vector Lights for Waitangi.
The show is a kaleidoscope of colour, stepping through time, and closing with 180 stars on the bridge to signify 180 years. A narration explaining the story as it unfolds in lights on the bridge can be heard at vector.co.nz/lights.
The six-minute light show plays every half hour from 9pm until midnight for five nights from Sunday 2 February through to the evening of Thursday 6 February.
Each year Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland Council and Vector collaborate with one of the region’s 19 mana whenua to build a light show that conveys deeper meaning and tells their stories.
For Waitangi 2020, the story on the bridge has been developed by Waikato-Tainui.
