'Nga mihi ki Aotearoa whānui': Royals' tributes to NZ ahead of Waitangi Day

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall visited Waitangi Treaty Grounds in November 2019. Photo / Getty Images

As New Zealand prepared to mark Waitangi Day this weekend, several members of the British royal family shared their tributes to Aotearoa online.

And while they may not be able to visit to mark the occasion as they've done in the past, the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla have all taken to Twitter to remember their own visits to New Zealand on Waitangi Day.

The official royal family Twitter account shared a tribute on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, first in te reo Māori and then in English, to the delight of Kiwi followers.

"Ko te rā Waitangi tēnei ki Aotearoa, ko te rā tēnei i hainatia Te Tiriti o Waitangi i te tau 1840. I taua tau tonu, i hainatia ngā māngai o te Karauna o Piritana me ngā rangatira Māori rima rau neke atu i tēnei tuhinga tūāpapa o Aotearoa."

"Aotearoa New Zealand marks Waitangi Day, and the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. In that year, representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Māori chiefs signed New Zealand's founding document."

The message came alongside a throwback photo of the Queen visiting Christchurch on Waitangi Day in 2002, 19 years ago.

Charles and Camilla shared a tribute from their Clarence House Twitter account, writing: "We send our best wishes to all our Kiwi followers this Waitangi Day."

Ko te rā Waitangi tēnei ki Aotearoa, ko te rā tēnei i hainatia Te Tiriti o Waitangi i te tau 1840. I taua tau tonu, i hainatia ngā māngai o te Karauna o Piritana me ngā rangatira Māori rima rau neke atu i tēnei tuhinga tūāpapa o Aotearoa.#WaitangiDay pic.twitter.com/zVBS7w8XMh

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 5, 2021

"E rere kau ana nga mihi ki Aotearoa whānui, otirā koutou kua hono mai ki a mātou."

Charles and Camilla also shared some photos of their visit to Waitangi Treaty Grounds in November 2019. It was the first royal visit to New Zealand's birthplace in 25 years.

During the visit, Charles returned a 2.6m-long muka (fine flax) korowai that had been gifted to Queen Victoria by a Ngāpuhi chief in 1863.

It was hailed as a "work of love" and symbol of the relationship between Māori and the Crown.