As people walked up the steps of the Raglan Town Hall on February 6th they were greeted with the following words:
A day filled with manaakitanga (hospitality) and mō tātou, mā tātou (by all of us, for all of us). Manaakitanga reflects the importance of caring for others, extending warmth, respect and generosity to all. Mō tātou, mā tātou reminds us that the future of Aotearoa is something we shape together – unity and shared purpose for all those who call this place home. As we celebrate Waitangi Day in Whaingaroa 2026, we invite you to honour these values.
And what an amazing Waitangi Day 2026 we had Whaingaroa – overflowing with kotahitanga, manaakitanga and aroha.
Around 500 people came to spend part of their Waitangi Day with us. Once again our kaupapa was about educating, creating and activating our community. Our simple but effective brown paper timeline of Te Tiriti o Waitangi breaches and Māori resistance lined the walls for people to read as they walked in. As happens every time we show this timeline up, conversations were sparked – what stood out, what was already known, what was surprising.
Some whānau took part in the workshop delivered by Raj Irving and Tare Kereopa where you got to take home your very own Purerehua taonga puoro. Others gave Mau Rākau a go in the lively sessions run by Kimo Moko.
Our ātaahua raranga practitioners from Ngā Hua o Te Rito were continuously surrounded, as people gave it a go or just watched their beautiful mahi unfold.
Whaea Ruhi Haru was there with her ukulele and table decked out in the black, white and red of the tino rangatiratanga flag. Sharing her aroha through the day, memories of childhoods were ignited via waiata and stick games.
Definitely a big hit was the amazing array of kai on offer. Delicious seafood from Mike and Jamie, tasty curry from Pisey (Raglan Bakery), crispy onion bhaji from Raglan Rasoi, and creamy yoghurt from Raglan Food Co. On the other side of the hall were delicious goodies homebaked by our community and Big Poppa’s Kettle Korn. All served with a smile by our hardworking kitchen angels, Janeva, Tania and Linda. And of course, the lunchtime hangi prepared by Leo McQueen and his hard-working crew was hotly anticipated.
The creative station was standing room only as people of all ages took time out to design a flag or colour in a page from Action Station ‘Together for Te Tiriti’ colouring book. The Whaingaroa Te Tiriti community canvas gathered more signatures.
We were lucky enough to have our friends from ‘Tangata Tiriti – Treaty People’, Dr Saadia Arif and Leeya Namuwaya who travelled from Hamilton to spend the day with us. Supporting the kaupapa of kotahitanga, Saadia and Leeya provided resources and talked with those interested in the translations of Te Tiriti o Waitangi for different communities.
The Whaingaroa ‘Forum Tent’ in the Town Hall Supper Room was the scene of an insightful panel discussion. Facilitated by Aaron Mooar from Raglan Radio, the panel deliberately centered a diverse range of Tangata Tiriti perspectives, emphasising Te Tiriti o Waitangi both belongs to, and holds a place for us all.
When thinking about why Te Tiriti might be translated into different languages, a common question is “wasn’t Te Tiriti signed with just the British”? To this, long-time Te Tiriti educator Dr Ingrid Huygens says, “at the time of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori saw their relationship with the British as the primary newcomer relationship. However, many hapū were interacting with people from all over the world and certainly intended that the Treaty agreements would equally apply to non-British people. Hence, all newcomers belong within the Treaty relationship. Te Tiriti is a relationship between Māori and all others – Tangata Whenua with Tangata Tiriti”.
The panel, comprised of Tony Mayow, Xavier Meade and Ross Wallis, shared honest and diverse perspectives about their journeys to understanding, as well as ways in which support and commitment to Te Tiriti can be demonstrated in our daily lives.
Gabrielle Parson, a member of the newly formed Whaingaroa Te Tiriti Activation Group, also shared about her work in this area, with Dr Saadia Arif and Leeya Namuwaya joining the discussion to share their unique perspectives as newcomers to Aotearoa. Such rich kōrero saw the true meaning of kotahitanga reach into every corner of the room
Special thanks to Kimo Moko for opening & closing our day so beautifully.
And to Whaea Margaret Dillon for capturing so many moments of the day, and to all those who jumped in and helped where needed on the day – ngā mihi nui.
Together we really did make Waitangi Day Whaingaroa 2026 one to remember.
Celebrating Kotahitanga: Waitangi Day Whaingaroa 2026 was brought to you by Manatū Taonga – Ministry for Heritage & Culture. With the generous support of Raglan Naturally Community Trust; PureLink; Raglan Community House; WDC; and Gareth Bellamy (Bellamy-Producer/Composer).
