In our whanau, I’ve not seen evidence directly connecting us with the 500 signatories to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, but I appreciate it as a founding document and statement of intent.
Who wouldn’t, as someone with Māori whakapapa, want the newly arrived group of people signing a contract with your peoples’ collective, that stated in English "full, exclusive and undisturbed possession of their lands and estates".
The mokopuna of Henry and William Williams recently said they were honouring their tūpuna by speaking out, believing that the Williams brothers intended for Te Tiriti, as a translation of the Treaty, to be a partnership, where both ways of being could be maintained.
Waitangi Day was first marked by mainstream New Zealand in 1934 after the then Governor-General purchased and restored the Busbys’ run-down house in Waitangi.
Prior to this time, New Zealand, as with Australia, was celebrating the founding of the colony on a day in January commemorating the arrival of William Hobson in Te Tai Tokerau.
Aroha Harris’ 2004 book about Māori protests proposed that Māori had always had the signing of Te Tiriti/The Treaty as one of the frameworks of our society.
However, by the 1960s, for non-Māori, the treaty was only associated with citizenship, nationhood and a "one people" philosophy, not about considering what Te Tiriti/The Treaty had promised.
Thus, as the 1970s progressed, its visibility and consciousness were raised by Māori activism.
A public holiday was associated with Waitangi Day in 1973.
Quite seriously, I wonder if this supported the activism.
It is very helpful not to have to take an annual leave day to protest.
The public holiday associated with Waitangi Day was a very good unintended consequence and continues to be so.
For those of us who are privileged enough to have a choice about what to do on our public holiday, we could possibly attend events and be charitable about the celebratory aspect of the day.
A search of websites shows commemoration events in Tāhuna Queenstown, in the Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, and on Esk St in Waihōpai Invercargill in our rohe of Otago and Southland.
Ngāi Tahu have their celebration event at Ōnuku Marae, near Akaroa this year.
If celebrating Waitangi Day isn’t your thing, keep an eye on the events that unfold at Waitangi, in Te Tai Tokerau.
Since the 1970s, protests at Waitangi have been a powerful expression of dissent, often amplified by sensationalised media coverage.
Over the decades, demonstrators have made their point through high-profile actions, including burning the New Zealand flag and throwing various objects — ranging from a t-shirt and mud to a dildo and even fists — at invited guests.
I can’t predict exactly what form this year’s protests will take, but history suggests that some members of the current government — who can hardly be called representatives — are likely to face significant criticism.
For some of those who are Māori, this criticism has already come from their own relations and is likely to be magnified on the day.
Twenty years on from Harris writing that the 2004 hīkoi was a reminder of the importance of the Tiriti/Treaty, it’s as true now as then. Waitangi Day serves as a crucial point of reference — a pou that stands firm, offering certainty.
Its acknowledgement is a strength, even the most oppositional people cannot deny that the day exists, but take it further than a passive observance.
It is a call to action — a reminder of our collective responsibility to uphold the promises of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
To truly move forward, we must go beyond mere recognition and commit to honouring the Tiriti/Treaty in meaningful ways.
Take that step — Tōitū te Tiriti — Honour te Tiriti/the Treaty.
Let it endure, upheld not just in words but in action.
It is not an irrelevant historical document but a living contract, deliberately negotiated then, as now, by representatives of both partners in this enduring relationship.
