Mana whenua, in partnership with Tauranga City Council warmly invite the community to attend the Tauranga Moana Waitangi Day Dawn Service at Hopukiore (Mount Drury Reserve) on Thursday, 6 February.
All are welcome to gather at Hopukiore from 6am. The service begins at 6:30am with a whakatau (welcome) from tangata whenua and includes speeches from local kaumātua (elders) and civic leaders, music from Te Reo Ratana Te Tautoru - Ratana Band, waiata, hymns and entertainment.
The service will conclude with a karakia around 8am.
Whareroa Marae Chair, Manea Ngātai, says the importance of commemorating the Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its significance to Tauranga Moana endures to this day.
“It started back in the late 1970s when a small group of kaumatua gathered at the summit of Mauao at dawn for a blessing and then came to Whareroa marae for breakfast. Over the years the dawn service has grown to what it is today, just as our relationship with the community and the city has grown too.”
“The dawn service is about coming together with the community to share history and look to a future of partnership and kotahitanga (unity).”
“Come along to acknowledge our values of whakawhanaungatanga (relationships and collaboration) and manaakitanga (care and respect),” Ngātai says.
Mayor Mahé Drysdale says Council is proud to work collaboratively with mana whenua to ensure Waitangi Day is commemorated appropriately, year-on-year.
“We’ve seen big crowds at previous Tauranga Moana Waitangi Day dawn services, and we expect this year’s commemoration to be equally as popular.
“Alongside mana whenua, we’re committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment in the heart of Mount Maunganui for everyone to unite on our national day,” says Mahé.
A road closure will be in place on Thursday, 6 February, from 5:30am until 8am on Marine Parade, from Grace Avenue to Pacific Avenue.
Council works as part of the Waitangi Day organising committee, alongside the Whareroa Marae Committee, Ngai Tukairangi, Māori Wardens, Te Kohinga Network, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the Tauranga Church Community.
The organising committee receives funding from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Tauranga City Council to support the dawn service.
| Image caption | Whareroa Marae Chair, Manea Ngātai. Photo credit: Bay of Plenty Times. Used with permission. |