The 1990 Sesquicentennial

When the government launched the 1990 Commission to co-ordinate and promote activities for the sesquicentennial year, the Commission was convinced that the Maori-Pakeha partnership concept had to be broadened to embrace the many cultures of the nation. The treaty and Waitangi Day had their place, but they were not the only factors in the national identity equation.

Nevertheless, 6 February had to be handled well. The Waitangi event, which the Queen attended, was a gala occasion, with the Aotearoa Maori Arts Festival and 20 newly built waka (canoes) drawing thousands of spectators. The commemoration, which included a re-enactment of the treaty signing, went off with few hitches.

Protesters were not absent, but it was Whakahuihui Vercoe, the Anglican Bishop of Aotearoa, who made the most telling public statement. His speech signalled that no matter what the programme, the day was bound to produce tensions.

After 1990 the well-established pattern of attendance by dignitaries, speech-making, and Maori and navy involvement at Waitangi resumed. There was no clear vision of what the day would mean were it ever to be a day for the nation as a whole; it often proved difficult to co-ordinate the various players in the event.

The Waitangi National Trust Board saw the day as the one time in the year when New Zealanders could be one people. Foreign Affairs' role related to the presence of the diplomatic corps, who by convention paid their respects to the head of state on the national day. For northern Maori it was their mana whenua that was at stake. The navy felt that it was there by right and was obliged anyway to support the Governor-General. Participants looked forward to a pleasant social event, enhanced by a stay at the nearby Waitangi hotel or another resort.