Te Rā o Waitangi — Waitangi Day

Commemorate Waitangi Day at He Tohu

Have you seen Te Tiriti o Waitangi up close? Can you tell which of the nine Te Tiriti sheets are made from animal skin? Can you find Hōne Heke’s signature?

Come to He Tohu at the National Library to view the original sheets of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The interactive part of the He Tohu exhibition is temporarily closed, but the document room, He Whakapapa Kōrero, that houses three of Aotearoa's constitutional taonga — 1835 He Whakaputanga, 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition — will be open.

Activities for tamariki, rangatahi, and pākeke (adults)

There will be activities for tamariki, rangatahi, and pākeke (adults) throughout the day. Join reorua bilingual tours to learn more about Te Tiriti signings, brush up your whakahua te reo Māori (pronunciation), sing waiata, make your own tiriti, and reflect on what Te Tiriti means to you. Watch film footage compiled by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision or test your knowledge with a quiz.

HOME Café will also be open until 2pm.

More about He Tohu

Guided tour times

Join tētahi wheako of He Tohu and the Cliff Whiting artwork, Te Wehenga, in te reo Pākehā (English language), te reorua (bilingual te reo Māori and te reo Pākehā), or te reo rūmaki (te reo Māori only) throughout the day.

Te reo Pākehā He Tohu tours (30 minutes)

When — 9:30am, 10:30am, 11am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1pm, 2:30pm, 3pm.

Te reo Pākehā Te Wehenga kōrero (15 minutes)

When — 10:30am and 1pm.

Te reorua tour of He Tohu and Te Wehenga (30 minutes)

When — 10am and 2pm.

Te reo rūmaki tour of He Tohu and Te Wehenga (40 minutes)

When — 12pm.

You are welcome to self-guide throughout the day from 9am to 4pm.

Workshops

Whakahua reo Māori me ngā waiata | Pronunciation and waiata workshop

When — 11am to 11:40am.
Learn new waiata and practice your pronunciation of te reo Māori with friends and whānau.

Ngā kemu | Games session

When — 1pm to 1:30pm.
Try out a range of fun tākaro with your hoa.

Representing Te Tiriti

When — 1:30pm to 2:10pm.
Look closely at paintings that depict different reconstructions of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840.

Te Tiriti timeline and quiz

When — 2:30pm to 3pm.
Learn about key events related to the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and test your knowledge.

Watch Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision’s compilation From Pageant to Hīkoi

The Waitangi Day Act of 1960 declared 6 February as Waitangi Day. In 1973, Labour Prime Minister Norman Kirk announced that 6 February 1974 would be observed as a national holiday but it would be known as ‘New Zealand Day’.

On 6 February 1974, a two-and-a-half-hour extravaganza curated as Aotearoa, a pageant of New Zealand’s history, was televised live throughout the country from Waitangi Treaty Grounds. A formal Māori welcome for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and distinguished guests opened the event in front of 20,000 people.

The 10 years that followed saw many watershed moments for the nation. These included the Waitangi Day Act 1976 which reinstated the name ‘Waitangi Day’, establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal, the Māori Land Marches, and the occupations of Takaparawhau (Bastion Point) and Tainui Awhiro ki te pūaha o Whāingaroa — The Kokiri Centre (Raglan).

The newly re-preserved episode of Koha Ngā Taonga shares in this programme, follows the Kotahitanga hikoi led by Eva Rickard. The hīkoi travelled from Ngāruawāhia to Waitangi Treaty Grounds to meet the Queen’s representative, Governor General Sir David Beattie. He had agreed to receive representatives of Kotahitanga to accept their submissions on the Treaty of Waitangi, but it was not to be.

From the pageant Aotearoa in 1974 to the Kotahitanga hīkoi featured in this 1984 episode of Koha, Ngā Taonga’s programme presents two very different events at Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

Watch E oho! Waitangi recorded events online

Want to do something special to commemorate Waitangi Day, but are unable to visit us? You could watch one of our recorded E oho! Waitangi events.

National Library recorded events

Check before you come

Due to COVID-19 some of our events can be cancelled or postponed at very short notice. Please check the website for updated information about individual events before you come. For more general information about National Library services and exhibitions, have a look at our COVID-19 page.