Waitangi Day
Waitangi Day is a public holiday observed throughout Aotearoa New Zealand to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and Māori at Waitangi in 1840. The Treaty of Waitangi is a founding document of government in New Zealand and the day has been a public holiday since 1974.
Waitangi Day 2021 marks 181 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti) on 6 February 1840. This year it was commemorated online.
Since 2003, the Council has been working in partnership with Te Whakaminenga o Kāpiti (TWoK), to deliver a commemorative event that respects the current treaty settlement environment on the Kāpiti Coast and provide an opportunity for the wider community to experience and understand Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its relevance within the District, and 2021 is no different.
Waitangi Day 2021
This year, in response to the continuing COVID-19 situation, Te Whakaminenga o Kāpiti invited the Kāpiti Coast community to commemorate Waitangi Day online.
The online commemorations had several unique but connected parts:
- Waitangi ki Kāpiti video series playlist exploring what Waitangi Day means to people in our district,
- An online Waitangi Day welcome and karakia on Council’s Facebook page, and
- A special live stream of the Waitangi Day commemorations at Rangiātea Pastorate Church in Ōtaki from 3-4pm, Saturday 6 February.
Waitangi ki Kāpiti video series
As part of our virtual Waitangi Day commemorations we made a 5-part video series exploring the relevance of Te Tiriti and people's thoughts on how we commemorate it in our district. We encourage you to watch and share this kōrero as a way to stimulate discussion on what Te Tiriti means for our Kāpiti Coast communities.
Treaty signatories
The tangata whenua of the District are Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, including whanau and hapū. In the 1820–30s they were firmly established in the District and were signatories to the Treaty of Waitangi at the following locations:
- On board the ship The Ariel at Port Nicholson in Wellington (29 April 1840)
- Queen Charlotte Sounds (4 May 1840)
- Rangitoto (d'Urville Island) (11 May 1840)
- Kāpiti Island (14 May 1840)
- Waikanae (16 May 1840)
- Ōtaki (19 May 1840)
- Manawatū (26 May 1840)
- Motungarara Island (4 June 1840)
- Guard's Bay and Cloudy Bay (Te Koko-a-Kupe) in Te Tau Ihu (17 June 1840)
- Mana Island (19 June 1840), and again on Kāpiti Island (19 June 1840).