Waitangi Day 2026
Words by Kaumatua (elder) Dr Taku Parai opening Waitangi Day in Porirua On 6 February, Aotearoa marks the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840. Representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Māori chiefs signed one of our founding documents. It has been a public holiday since 1974. The rangatira who signed Te Tiriti did not cede their sovereignty to the Crown. Officials wanted a treaty to allow the Crown’s jurisdiction to extend only to British subjects. For five years after the treaty was signed, hapū sovereignty remained intact in the country. Non-Māori, of all cultures, backgrounds and ethnicities are Tangata Tiriti, those who belong in Aotearoa by right of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Te Tiriti is an invitation to Tangata Tiriti to belong in this land as long as Te Tiriti is honoured. Now more than ever. Honor Te Tiriti Mutumutu ki Mukukai: Freshwater to Saltwater Ngāti Toa Rangatira connected waterways. At @patakaartmuseum Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed in 1840 between representatives of the British Crown and more than 500 rangatira Māori. Since then, the Crown has repeatedly failed to uphold it. On this day, we encourage Tangata Tiriti (people of Te Tiriti), which includes the great communities that make Aotearoa home and come from or have descendancy outside the country, to learn about and reflect over breaches of Te Tiriti and support Tangata Whenua (Māori) Art by @ambersmith.nz www.waitangitribunal.govt.nz/en/publications/education/tow-past-and-present