Waitangi Day 1990s - Waitangi Day

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The Early 1990s: Partnership Proposals

The formal programme in 1991 and 1992 was intended to reflect the Maori-Pakeha partnership of tangata whenua (people of the land) and tangata tiriti (people of the treaty), the latter a concept that aims to give non-Maori partners a feeling that they have a place to stand, a right to call New Zealand their turangawaewae.

As the 1993 commemoration approached, the National government's handling of treaty issues was creating divisions of opinion among both Pakeha and Maori. At Waitangi in 1993 there was a hardening of attitudes among both elders and activists. Embarrassed by events that year, Cabinet set up a ministerial working group to review options. However, it restricted its deliberations to events at Waitangi, which would be attended by Prince Charles in 1994, and apparently did not consider other possibilities.

This focus on Waitangi led to the 1994 programme being planned with care by both the Crown and Tai Tokerau (northern Maori). A working group embraced representatives of all groups involved, including protest groups. The Crown-Maori partnership was recognised by the co-chairing of the organisation by Deputy Prime Minister Don McKinnon and northern representative Pita Paraone.

New features were a forum on the marae at which government ministers and Maori exchanged views on treaty issues, and a sports/cultural festival on the treaty house grounds. In practical terms the review had now created new problems: more participants in the organisation, more agendas and a potentially explosive forum. Yet the revamped programme was moderately successful, protest was fairly low-key, and a similar programme was scheduled for 1995.

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.

1995: A Watershed Year

The months leading up to 6 February 1995 were marked by increasing tensions on treaty issues, even before the government released its long-awaited new proposals for the settlement of Treaty claims in December 1994. These brought a negative response from all levels of the Maori community and placed the events at Waitangi in jeopardy. Protest was expected, but its nature and extent caught many people off-guard.

Events on Te Tii marae led to the cancellation of the forum, and with protest flags hoisted on the treaty house grounds and public security uncertain, the formal ceremonies were cancelled. The images transmitted by the media conveyed powerful messages to the nation.Within days Prime Minister Jim Bolger used his annual state of the nation address to comment on race relations: 'What happened at Waitangi is not the universal face of Maoridom and must not be seen as such', he said. 'Equally, what happened at Waitangi means there can be no going back to commemorate and celebrate Waitangi as it was. That is over.' The public was invited to comment and propose alternatives, but in the end the government, like Labour in the 1980s, decided on a strategic repositioning of events.

Beyond 1995

From 1996 to 1998 the official ceremonies were held at Government House in Wellington, and a function at Waitangi had a limited government presence. In 1998 Prime Minister Jenny Shipley attended the dawn ceremony at Waitangi, before returning to Wellington for the official commemorations. In that year opposition leader Helen Clark was challenged about her right as a woman to speak on the Te Tii marae. Despite this incident there were few protests and no arrests, with the New Zealand Herald describing it as 'the most peaceful Waitangi Day in years'.In 1999 the Crown returned to Waitangi and both the Prime Minister and the Governor-General attended the official commemorations. The day was once more a largely peaceful affair, though some protesters labelled the programme a sham.

In 2000 the official ceremonies were again held at Waitangi, but the new Labour Prime Minister, Helen Clark, decided to attend a Waitangi Day function at Onuku marae, Akaroa. The Governor General, Sir Michael Hardie Boys, a group of MPs and Jenny Shipley, now leader of the Opposition were at Waitangi.

The programme of events on the treaty house grounds aimed to make the day one of spiritual observance, ceremony, family fun and entertainment. It was generally successful. But an official welcome and forum at Te Tii marae did not run smoothly and there was an assault on the Waitangi flagpole in the early hours of 6 February. Most media reports focused on these aspects and gave brief coverage to the rest. Cabinet decided that in 2001 there would be no official representation there, but in the end two cabinet ministers were present. The Waitangi National Trust Board, responsible for the treaty house and grounds, organised events to mark the day including a church service. Although this was disrupted by 300 young people, the rest of the day passed peacefully with games and waka events.

The Prime Minister attended functions in Auckland and Wellington; and the Deputy Prime Minister participated in a marae event in the Hutt Valley, joined by the Governor General who also had a function at Government House. The difficulties associated with events at Waitangi and at Te Tii marae over the years have raised questions about whether official commemorations should continue to be held at Waitangi. In 2002, however, the Crown returned to Waitangi with the Governor General, Dame Silvia Cartwright, the Attorney General, Chief Judge Sian Elias, and the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Helen Clark.

A large body of Government and Opposition members as well as other guests attended. Tensions were not absent from proceedings. Protestors disturbed the welcome at Te Tii and an early church service in the Whare Runanga on the treaty house grounds but events during the rest of the day were held in a celebratory atmosphere. Moves to commemorate Waitangi Day elsewhere in New Zealand have expanded. In 2001 and 2002 a number of functions and events were held, some of them assisted by funding which for some five years had been available through the Department of Internal Affairs. In 2001 responsibility for administering this fund was taken over by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. The Commemorating Waitangi Day Fund supports activities that acknowledge the signing of the treaty. Applications for funding are assessed on the basis of criteria such as encouraging community participation and achievement, promoting a cultural experience and event, and providing participants with an opportunity to learn more about the treaty. The fund has supported dozens of events around the country, ranging from a commemoration of Lieutenant -Governor William Hobson's journey from the Bay of Islands to Mangungu, where the Hokianga signing of the treaty was held, to community tree planting, hangi and kapa haka performance on the West Coast. Events supported by the fund celebrate the positive aspects of Waitangi Day - the coming together of the peoples of New Zealand in a treaty partnership.

While 6 February is recognised as New Zealand's national day, the long-standing tensions associated with the day are always likely to surface in one form of another. The date is an important marker in the country's history, however, and recognition of the treaty's significance as the foundation document of the nation will continue to encourage leaders, communities and individuals to mark the day in new ways.

Next page: The Treaty House