Join us live as members of parliament arrive for Waitangi celebrations on the treaty grounds.
The pōwhiri will commence at 11am, and Christopher Luxon will be in attendance, unlike last year, when he was in Akaroa to announce a roading upgrade, hosted by Ngāi Tahu.
Furthermore, with 2026 being an election year, many of the political parties will compete for votes at one of the largest gatherings of te iwi Māori.
First Nations rally together - Te tōpūranga o ngā iwi taketake
Co-chair of the Peoples’ Assembly of First Nations of Victoria, Ngarra Murray, speaks on the relationships First Nations Australians have with Māori in Aotearoa and the support received by Māori in their journey to achieve Australia’s first-ever treaty.
E ai ki te heamana takirua o Te Whakaminenga o Ngā Iwi Taketake o Wikitoria a Ngarra Murray, arā noa atu ngā hononga ki waenga i ngā iwi taketake o Ahitereiria me te iwi Māori, me te aha, he whakawhirinakitanga te tautoko a te iwi Māori i te tiriti tuatahi o tēra whenua.
“There’s a lot of learnings and inspiration we can take home, and look towards our annual day, when we celebrate the first anniversary of the first treaty.”
“Arā noa atu ngā akoranga, me ngā whakahihiritanga kua āta kitea e mātou, hei whakawhirinakitanga i a mātou e whai nei i tō mātou ake rā whakamahara tuatahi i te tiriti ki te kāinga.”
Paraikete Whero movement - Te Ope Paraikete Whero
A group of Kuia have created a movement known as the paraikete whero, representing the signatories to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, those who were given two red blankets and tobacco.
Kua waihangatia e tētahi kāhui kuia he ope hou, e meinga nei ko Te Ope Paraikete Whero, e whakamahara ana i hoautanga ki te hunga i waitohu i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, arā, ko ētahi paraikete whero e rua me te tūpeka te whiwhinga.
Frances Goulton, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, says the movement has been long-standing, marking the loss Māori suffered through signing Te Tiriti.
E ai ki a Frances Goulton, he uri nō Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, he ope tūroa te ope nei, ka mutu, he tohu whakamaharatanga ki nga whakarerenga huhua a te iwi Māori i te hainatanga a Te Tiriti te iho nui.
“Pākehā were really happy with what was going on with colonisation. But Ngāpuhi weren’t, Māori weren’t, because of the huge loss of land. So, Ngāpuhi came here with red blankets. I understand some of them were hanging in trees, and some of them were holding them up. But, that was a demonstration of a loss of land, that’s actually what Te Tiriti o Waitangi was, the result of that for them, loss of land.”
“Ka nui te hākoakoa o te iwi Pākehā ki ngā hua o te pūwhenuatanga Pākehā ki Aotearoa. Engari anō a Ngāpuhi. He whenua ngaro te utu nui. Nō reira, ko ngā paraikete whero te kawenga ā Ngāpuhi. I whakairihia ētahi ki ngā rākau, he mea whakairi hoki ētahi e te ringa tangata tonu. E tohu ana ēnei paraikete i te whenua kua ngaro, ā, koirā hoki te hua o te hainatanga i Te Tiriti o Waitangi ki a rātou, kua ngaro te whenua.”
2:05 PM
The Prime Minister addresses the nation at Waitangi, closing out the speeches for the day.
2:00 PM
Mariameno Kapa-Kingi extends her sincere gratitude to her iwi in attendance, and cementing her place in politics for Te Tai Tokerau:
“I am not going anywhere!”
1:50 PM
Winston Peters addresses Waitangi.
1:40 PM
ACT party leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour addresses Waitangi and speaks on the Treaty Principles Bill, saying:
“The only way to defeat a principle is to have a better idea, and I’m yet to hear the opponents tell us a better idea.”
1:30 PM
Leader of the opposition Chris Hipkins has addressed the multitudes at Waitangi, saying he believes Labour can honour the treaty and support the diversity of Aotearoa.
1:10 PM
Tensions arise as haka breaks out following the address of Rāwiri Waititi.
12:50 PM
Te Pāti Māori co-leader addresses the masses at Waitangi.
12:30 PM
The Greens have hit the ground running at Waitangi this year, announcing three candidates to contest Māori electorates at the upcoming general election.
All three are wāhine Māori.
Hūhana Lyndon, Tānia Waikato and Heather Te Au-Skipworth, the former Te Ikaroa-Rāwhiti candidate for Te Pāti Māori, were unveiled during whaikōrero at Waitangi by Green Party MP Te Anau Tuiono.
12:00 PM
Issues have been raised on the Taumata (pae kōrero) today, particularly around the government’s treatment of Māori issues over their current three-year term.
Mutunga Rameka (Ngāti Ueoneone) spoke first on the taumata today, warning Māori of the ill-treatment by the government and other political parties of the past.
“Whakatupato. He pū kei kō kei kō, kei kō. Kia tūpato. Ki te kotyahi ngā pū kotahi tonu te matā. E rere ana ki a koutou.”
Following Rameka, was Eru Kapa-Kingi speaking on the trials and tribulations Māori have faced from governments in the past. He says themes of manaakitanga and aroha Māori were offered, despite not receiving any from the government.
11:20 AM
Tensions are easing among the crowds at Waitangi.
11:10 AM
Kua takotoria ngā wero ki mua i te aroaro o te kāwanatanga.
11:00 AM
Wikatana Popata addresses the masses at Waitangi.
10:25 AM
Ata mārie, nau mai ki ngā kōrero arorangi o te wā atu i Te Papa Whenua o Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Follow us here with live updates as we bring you coverage from Waitangi Treaty Grounds.
