Find out what activities have been approved funding around the country in the 2025 funding round for the Commemorating Waitangi Day Fund.

Northland
Te Tai Tokerau

Mangawhai Business Association Inc

Held in the Mangawhai Heads and Mangawhai Harbour (estuary). There will be Waka Ama, sailing, live music, kapa haka and other cultural performances, guest speakers who will talk on Te Tiriti and He Whakaputanga and talks on the local history by local hapū. Kai Māori stalls, interactive craft stalls and local stalls that give our community an opportunity to showcase a variety of traditional and modern arts, crafts and fun activities for all ages. A celebration of Te Ao Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi.

$20,000

Auckland
Tāmaki Makaurau

The Lake House Trust

The Waitangi Day Hakari Event at Te Whare Roto o Toi – Lake House Arts, commemorates Te Tiriti o Waitangi with a community gathering offering free hāngī meals, cultural performances, Māori arts demonstrations, and discussion panels with a small group hīkoi to connect with our local marae. Lead by our toi whakairo Natanahira te Pona, this event fosters cultural understanding, unity, and participation, attendees engage in the commemoration of Waitangi Day ending with a 20-minute hīkoi to visit local marae.

$20,000

Auckland Council

Waitangi Ki Manukau, delivered by Auckland Council, commemorates and acknowledges Waitangi Day with a free, family friendly, community event at Barry Curtis Park, Manukau. The event will feature an exciting line-up of live performances from Māori artists, as well as a curated selection of Māori and Pacific arts and crafts stalls in the village market space, Te Tiriti educational activities, a dedicated Tamariki area and more.

$20,000

Te Motu o Aotea Māori Womens Welfare League Incorporated

An event to bring the community together to commemorate and educate the people of Aotea about the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The event will start with a 45-minute hīkoi down to Port Fitzroy wharf which will be supported by Aotea Police and Rural Fire crew . The community hīkoi will be welcomed by a pōwhiri by local iwi and kaumatua. There will be stalls, music and activities all aimed at celebrating our culture and educate the community.

$4,000

Waikato

Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, Waikato Museum

‘Weaving a Future Together’ is a free community day at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery. It will include a bilingual children’s show, an interactive workshop, live music and a public talk on resource sovereignty for weavers. This programme will share local and national Maaori stories and perspectives focussed on Te Tiriti and toi Maaori, notably raranga and natural resources.

$8,000

Ngāti Tūrangitukua Māori Committee

The Waitangi ki Tūrangitukua Festival is a free community event, combining family fun and cultural activities including cultural exhibitions, multicultural food stalls, children’s amusements and live performances from some of Tūrangi and Aotearoa’s finest talent.

Held at Te Kapua Park in Tūrangi, the event aims to encourage the gathering of all members of our community and embrace kotahitanga by celebrating the unique cultural identity and diversity in the Tūwharetoa District.

$15,000

Bay of Plenty
Waiariki 

Ngā Tūmanako Whitianga Charitable Trust Board

This inaugural beachside event will feature an exciting lineup of kapa haka, live music from local artists, and mau rākau demonstrations. Experience cultural performances and participate in Tiriti-focused workshops, sharing rich stories and histories from a local iwi perspective. Enjoy a variety of stalls offering delicious kai, interactive toi Māori, hauora services, and educational opportunities.

$15,000

Te Puia NZMACI Limited Partnership

A whānua day jam-packed full of cultural festivities, delicious kai and wānanga, held at the culturally significant and iwi-owned New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute and Te Puia. Waitangi Day will include Te Tiriti o Waitangi seminars, cultural performances, tītī tōrea, poi and haka lessons, kirituhi face painting, a taonga market and train rides for tamariki to see Pōhutu Geyser. Watch demonstrations of weaving, wood carving, stone and bone carving. Celebrations will take on a Te Arawa lens, sharing the kōrero on how Te Arawa didn’t sign Te Tiriti o Waitangi, but the Kohimārama Covenant in 1860 instead.

$10,000

Te Iwi Kotahi Tauranga Moana Charitable Trust

The community will experience a traditional Māori welcome by Ngai Tamarawaho hapu Kaumatua, Tamati Tata and the MC, Mabel Burt will once again take the stage to share and educate attendees on what Aotearoa New Zealand's national day means for all New Zealanders and the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

$10,000

Te Paratehoata Marae

A free and family oriented – bringing locals and visitors together on New Zealand's national day to acknowledge the Treaty and its importance and to celebrate the beauty and richness of the people, place and community. Fun and educational activities to learn, connect, and engage will be supported with market stalls, specialist talks, guided tours, interactive displays, challenges and entertainment for all ages to enjoy.

$15,000

Taranaki

He Rau Oranga

This event honours the Treaty's principles of partnership, participation, and protection through traditional ceremonies, cultural performances, entertainment, and discussions on its historical and contemporary significance. It fosters understanding, reconciliation, and dialogue among communities, promoting unity and respect for the diverse cultural heritage of Aotearoa.

$10,000

Hawke's Bay
Te Matau-a-Māui 

Wairoa District Council

Waitangi Day is marked in the Wairoa local calendar as one of the most significant cultural events to be held in any given year. Not only does Waitangi Day celebrate the diversity and resilience of Wairoa, but it also showcases ‘Wairoatanga’ and community values. The event involves local iwi settlement groups and encourages participation from Māori and non-Māori organisations.

$6,000

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated

The Waitangi Day Family Celebrations event acknowledges the relationship between the Crown and Ngāti Kahungunu and commemorates Te Tiriti o Waitangi signing on 20th of June 1846, Ngaruroro River in Heretaunga. This event is enjoyed by all members of the community and creates an environment for wananga about Te Tiriti, whakawhanaungatanga activities that support the kaupapa, cultural performances honouring shared heritage through kapa haka, English and Gaelic music, Pasifika dance and Asian song and a formal ceremony.

$15,000

Waipureku Waitangi Trust

The event will include a mass community hīkoi (walk of unity), haka pōwhiri, whaikorero, waiata, refreshments, kōrero by local kaumatua and historians, and re-enactments of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by signing Te Tiriti o te Rangimarie (peace treaty) as well as a wananga on deepening understandings of the Treaty of Waitangi. The event is split into two sessions to enable greater community participation throughout the day.

$8,000

Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust

On the 23rd and 24th of June there will be workshops and kōrero of He Whakaputanga and history talks of pre and post signing of Te Tiriti, including short video clips of historical information and interviews. Hutia ngā haki / raising the three flags to represent Rangatira on the morning of Tuesday 24 June to mark the date of signing by three Rangatira for Te Matau a Māui.

$14,000

Manawatū–Whanganui

Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki

The history of Taumanuka, (the site where the Treaty was signed by Ōtaki Rangatira) and its people will be shared from local groups, hapū and iwi. Kai for whānau and friends at food stalls, bouncy castles, games, entertainment and spot prizes, to celebrate the Te Tiriti journey.

$10,000

Muapoko Tribal Authority Incorporated

An iwi, hapū and whānau-led event in partnership with our Hāpori o Horowhenua to commemorate and celebrate Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The kaupapa of Te Tiriti o Waitangi is collectively celebrated through the expression of kōtahitanga, manaakitanga, rangatiratanga and whakawhanaungatanga. An inclusive free event for our community of Horowhenua, showcasing a variety of community activities including oranga promotion, entertainment, manaaki hubs, hauora hubs, tamariki activities along with arts and crafts.

$14,000

Wairarapa

Masterton District Council

Masterton District Council, in partnership with iwi, hapū, and tangata whenua, will implement two new activities and continue with two existing ones from 2024 to enhance understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The initiatives include ‘on the couch’ discussions with Tangata Tiriti, a Year 13 Te Tiriti wananga, the publication of more educational videos, and the redevelopment of Treaty Trails with Ngāti Kahungunu. These efforts aim to raise awareness and knowledge of Te Tiriti among the Whakaoriori and Wairarapa communities.

$7,000

Wellington
Te Whanganui-a-Tara 

Wharewaka o Pōneke Charitable Trust

Tū Tama Roto, Tū Tama Waho – Te Raukura offers Wellingtonians and visitors the opportunity to explore, reflect, share and understand the impacts of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi has had for mana whenua and tangata whenua in Te Whanganui a Tara. Waitangi celebrations are led by mana whenua ‘Te Ātiawa/Taranaki iwi katoa’ at Te Raukura, Te Wharewaka o Pōneke (Cultural Centre) on Wellington waterfront, and are supported by matauranga Māori cultural practices of the past, present and future.

$8,000

Wellington City Council

Te Rā o Waitangi event opens with speeches and a karakia from mana whenua and the mayor. This is followed by a line-up of multicultural performances on the main stage, stallholders, food trucks from a range of cultural cuisines, hāngī, celebrations of Māori culture, a kids’ zone and live arts. The Treaty forum roadshow is a new event for 2025, which involves a travelling discussion panel which will make its way around four to five community centres over the course of Waitangi Day.

$8,000

Nelson–Marlborough
Whakatū

Whakatū Marae

Held at Whakatū Marae and Founders Heritage Park, the event promotes unity, education, and cultural understanding through a programme of workshops, presentations, performances, and interactive activities. Delivered in partnership between Te Tauihu Iwi, local government, and community groups, Te Rā o Waitangi ki Whakatū stimulates meaningful dialogue and cultural connections, strengthening local relationships and intercultural understanding.

$14,000

Otago
Ōtākau

Mana Tahuna Charitable Trust

Mana Tāhuna Charitable Trust in partnership with Queenstown Lakes District Council, will host community Te Tiriti O Waitangi celebrations in Te Kararo – Queenstown Gardens. Waitangi Day 2025 will see the gardens transformed into a festival of waiata kapa haka, toi Māori and Te Tiriti education for the whole community.

$10,000

Queenstown Lakes District Council

Waitangi Day for Kāi Tahu (Ngāi Tahu) is commemorated in three places on a rotational basis – Ōnuku Marae (Akaroa), Ōtākou Marae (Dunedin), and Te Rau Aroha Marae (Bluff). When held in Akaroa it has been agreed by councils and Kāi Tahu (Papatipu Rūnaka e Whitu – The 7 Rūnaka with shared Authority in Otago and Southland) that a Central Otago based council (CODC or QLDC) will co-host a commemoration in their district alongside Kāi Tahu. There will be Kaupapa presentations, kapahaka, art displays, waka ama, carving and art workshops and planting programme demonstrations.

$10,000

Chatham Islands
Wharekauri / Rēkohu 

Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust

A day to come together on Wharekauri to acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Kaumatua, kura, local council and wider community groups will be involved in formalities, with karakia, waiata and kōrero. There will be opportunities to take part in traditional sporting activities and interactive activities which encourage whanaungatanga (relationships), manaakitanga, (respect), and tino rangatiratanga (self determination).

$3,000