Waitangi Day returns to Queenstown Gardens
Tahuna’s Waitangi Day celebrations will this year return to Queenstown Gardens after the past couple of years of moving around to different spots. The 2023 event has a strong focus on whanau and will include live music, Kapa Haka, kai, and activities for tamariki.
Mana Tahuna and QLDC have collaborated to bring this event to the Gardens, and have been supported by the Webster whanau, who started the event over 20 years ago with the help of family, friends and the community. Mana Tahuna is a charitable trust here in Queenstown that came about to support the Maori/Pasifika community in post-Covid time.
Since its first inception, the event has changed over the years, and in more recent times has become a bit more of big party rather than the all-inclusive day to commemorate Waitangi Day. This year’s focus will move on from previous iterations of the event.
“This is our first one as Mana Tahuna and we are working with the QLDC, which again will be the first time we’ve worked together on a Waitangi Day event. My mum was actually the one who started it over 20 years ago. Over the years we had a lot more involvement from other people and in the last seven years, it’s kind of taken a turn into something else that we didn’t really envision for Waitangi Day.
“It was our opportunity this year for Mana Tahuna to pick the ball back up and use it to kind of take it back to the roots and back to how we want to commemorate the day, and make sure that’s what we’re doing. We’ve got live music – we have five different acts/live music going on. We’ve got Charles Gibson, Ned and Pearly, Beauties and the Beast, Castle Rock acoustic, Herbs acoustic and also we have DJ Julio, or Jules, who’s going to finish off the afternoon. Definitely live music happening, just kind of keeping away from the DJ vibes,” says Ebony Webster, Mana Tahuna COO.
The stage will be set up at the rotunda, which is where the event will be based throughout the day. Everyone is encouraged to come by and bring their own food or a bit of a picnic to relax in the park and commemorate Waitangi Day.
“We’ve got a lot of community groups or whanau that are fundraising for different kinds of Kaupapa around the community, they’re coming to do fundraising stores – food and we’re got a few arts and crafts where they’re selling poi, and we’ll do Moko for kids. Bring food and just enjoy the day – hopefully it’s a beautiful day – and the music.”
Waitangi Day in the Gardens will be in Queenstown Gardens on Monday 6 February and is a free family-friendly event. You can find out more information or stay up to date by following Mana Tahuna on Facebook, or heading to the Facebook event page.
