Gisborne Waitangi commemoration focused on youth

Te Rūnanga o Tūranganui a Kiwa senior manager Athena Emmerson-Kapa with musician Josh Andzue, who will be performing at the Waitangi Day event at the Event Centre at Showgrounds Park. Photo / James Pocock

Te Rūnanga o Tūranganui a Kiwa’s Waitangi Day celebrations in Gisborne will focus on the whakaaro (thoughts) of rangatahi and starting a conversation around Waitangi.

Waitangi for our Rangatahi — For our Whānau is being held from 10am to 2pm at the Event Centre at Showgrounds Park.

A theme of the day will be Ka Hao te Rangatahi, meaning the new net goes fishing — a Māori proverb meaning it is a time for the youth.

Te Rūnanga o Tūranganui a Kiwa (Trotak) senior manager Athena Emmerson-Kapa said there would be tamariki activities such as face painting, bouncy castles and a ball pit, along with kai carts.

Board games will be available for rangatahi, along with information aimed at creating conversations around Waitangi “to get their voice, around their thoughts, what they think this Waitangi [Day] and what happened in the hīkoi [Hīkoi mō te Tiriti in November]”.

“We’re continuing the journey of the hīkoi and getting their kōrero to share and we will be able to put that into an action plan for them.”

It is hoped between 500 and 800 people will attend.

Trotak’s Waitangi Day event at Kiwa Pools last year attracted about 1500 people.

“We’ve been doing this for the last seven years. We are keeping it local, making it real simple,” Emmerson-Kapa said.

Whānau can bring shared kai “if they want to” but there will be food vendors.

Musician Josh Andzue, who performs as Kwick, will be onstage with his son [also Josh], performing and speaking to the audience.

“Encouraging our rangatahi to tell their own stories, to tell our own stories,” Andzue said.

Andzue hails from Waima, Tokomaru Bay, and has been a hobbyist musician for about 17 years, performing hip hop, rap, reggae and occasionally country — “anything really”.

“What I get into is telling our stories from the East Coast region, letting New Zealand know there are people out here.

“I like to think that out here in Tairāwhiti, on the East Coast, our uniqueness sets a trend for the rest of the country without the rest of the country knowing where things originate from.”

This will be his first Waitangi Day performance although he has previously performed at Matariki celebrations.

“I think the next generation coming through tomorrow will be the start of revamping Waitangi.”