Te Anau and tourists celebrate
The theme was tu¯ tira mai, which means stand together, and that’s exactly what the large crowd at Te A¯ nau did to celebrate Waitangi Day.
Te A¯ nau Waitangi Day committee chair Dale Wairau said the rendition of God Defend New Zealand sung at Te A¯ nau Lions Park yesterday morning was the best he’d ever heard.
‘‘It was so moving. We had people here from Czechoslovakia and Germany, and lots of tourists, and they didn’t know the words but they joined in anyway and it was just amazing.’’
As visitors entered the park, a karanga was performed, which he said was emotional for everyone involved.
‘‘It was just great to have them all here, learning more about the country they’ve come to visit in a positive way and we had awesome support from the community too.
‘‘A ku¯ mara doesn’t say how sweet it is, people tell the ku¯ mara how sweet it is, and I think they’d be saying it was pretty sweet.’’
It was the second year Wairau and his committee of five had organised Waitangi Day celebrations and, while last year was ‘‘phenomenal’’, this year was even better. ‘‘For us it’s about changing a perception and making positive change. It’s not about politics, it’s about coming together, learning from the past and moving forward as a people. It’s really a message of love.’’
The Nga¯ Hau e Wha¯ Kapa Haka group from Invercargill entertained, as did singer Jenny Mitchell.
‘‘We also had the Four Square ku¯ mara race, which was just awesome, and Craig Smith from the Wonky Donkey. It’s all about keeping it real.’’
Luke Stenner, of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, attended, as did Southland district mayor Gary Tong.
Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker spent the day in Queenstown, where he was joined by Labour MP Rino Tirikatene at Nga¯ i Tahu’s official celebrations.