The crowd at Waitangi looks on as spiritual, political and iwi leaders speak.
The crowd at Waitangi looks on as spiritual, political and iwi leaders speak.
There was no sunrise at Waitangi this year, as dawn came with a low dark cloud and a hint of blue on the horizon.
But 2000 people still braved the morning rain and gathered on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds for the dawn service outside of Te Whare Rūnanga on Monday.
Many esteemed Northland faces could be seen on the front porch of Te Whare Rūnanga, which glowed brightly against floodlights in the dark.
Northland’s Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro sat alongside Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, and local MP and new Government minister Willow Jean Prime had the job of holding an umbrella for Dame Kiro.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ prayer was short and simple - it called for an increase in knowledge and trust between those living in New Zealand, and for unity.
National List MP Dr Shane Reti, from Whangārei, speaking for National leader Chris Luxon, read a passage from The Book of Mormon that also urged unity.
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania spoke a verse in te reo Māori, Ta te Atua Tiaki [God Saves], during his first Waitangi dawn ceremony in the role.
It was an important moment for Tepania, who made history last year as the first Māori mayor of the Far North.
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania speaks at the Waitangi Day dawn ceremony.
The Māori Anglican Bishop of Tai Tokerau acknowledged New Zealand’s first female prime minister Dame Jenny Shipley, who was among the people in the crowd, for initiating the dawn karakia in the 1990s.
“Probably, the duty of the church now is to pray for fine weather,” quipped Bishop Te Kitohi Pikaahu, who lead the service.
Those prayers appeared to work, as the showers lifted and were replaced by a light breeze, which carried the echo of the crowd joining in waiata.
“[We] hold before us the words at Waitangi signed by Māori and Pākehā alike in 1840 to confirm their covenant,” Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-Ō-Ngāpuhi education manager Phoebe Davis said.
A family from the small Northland village of Ōhaeawai were among the Waitangi ceremony crowd - Lillian Tau, Christian Apiata and Amokura Apiata.
Seven-year-old Amokura Apiata has been to every Waitangi dawn ceremony since she was born, except last year due to Covid cancellations.
”It’s so nice to be back,” Lillian Tau said.
Ōhaeawai's Lillian Tau, Christian Apiata and Amokura Apiata at the Waitangi dawn ceremony.
A kaumātua surprised the crowd when he disrupted the service with words of protest, but he was pulled away by police who moved to block media from videoing.
Before he was removed from outside the marae, he demanded the national anthem be sung - the speaker on stage advised him it was going to be sung later.
He said he stood up in accordance with tikanga Māori to raise what he believed was the difference between law and statute.
The ceremony was concluded by the singing of the national anthem, in which a single acoustic guitar provided the only musical backdrop to the voices of those on and outside the marae as they sang in unity.
The markets are always an interesting place to visit at Waitangi on February 6.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins speaks at the Waitangi Day dawn service.
A large crowd gathered to hear the dawn service during Waitangi Day in the Bay of Islands on Monday.
Joe Henare and Jahcey Rapira get a good view of the waka on Waitangi Bridge.
A crowd was waiting with anticipation on Waitangi Bridge for the waka festival on Sunday.
