The 1960s: Historic Commemoration

Legislative recognition of the day was a first step towards creating a public holiday, and the annual commemoration built upon it. In 1960, for the first time, Waitangi Day ceremonies had been held at night and attended by members of the diplomatic corps.

Theatrical touches, with naval ships illuminated offshore, enthralled the 4,000-strong crowd. It was a performance to be repeated, and it was. Royal visits continued to play an important part in developing public sentiment and attachment to Waitangi. The 1963 visit was arranged so that the Queen arrived on the Britannia from Fiji, first stepping onto New Zealand soil at Waitangi. Speeches made much of the harmony between the two races.

Turi Carroll, chairman of the New Zealand Maori Council, made it clear in his address to the Queen that Maori wanted the treaty to have further statutory recognition. Besides long-standing grievances there was irritation over recent legislative measures, which indicated a drive towards assimilation of the races.

Interest in Waitangi Day increased in both Maori and Pakeha communities in the 1960s, but it was obvious that the focus for each was different. Broadcasts and telecasts carried Waitangi Day into the nation's homes and raised public interest in what was still generally perceived as an historic commemoration. Media coverage was no doubt of interest to Maori too, but their involvement was different. When speeches dwelt on racial equality, a unique history of harmonious race relations, and a unified nation, such expressions were likely to generate very mixed feelings among many Maori participants and listeners. By the late 1960s organised Maori activity was directed towards securing a national holiday as a first step towards legislative recognition, usually referred to as 'ratification', of the treaty.