Commemorating Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Tauranga Moana Waitangi Day Dawn Service 2026
Time: 6.30am – 8am (attendees welcome to gather from 6am)
Date: Friday, 6 February 2026
Location: Hopukiore (Mount Drury Reserve), 25 Pacific Avenue, Mount Maunganui
Join us for the annual Tauranga Moana Waitangi Day Dawn Service - a free, family-friendly event bringing iwi/hapū, civic and church leaders, and the wider community together to commemorate Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The service starts at 6:30am with a whakatau (welcome) from tangata whenua and includes speeches from local kaumātua (elders) and civic leaders, cultural performances, and music from Te Reo Ratana Te Tautoru - Ratana Band.
Speakers will explore the meaning of Te Tiriti today, the importance of honouring its spirit, and a shared vision for a thriving, Tiriti-based Tauranga Moana.
People are advised to arrive early, dress warmly, and bring a blanket or low camping chair to sit on.
The service will conclude with a karakia around 8am.
Road closures
Road closures will be in place on Friday, 6 February from 5am until 9am on Marine Parade from Grace Avenue to Pacific Avenue.
Accessible parking
Parking will be available for mobility card holders, kaumatua and kuia and other dignitaries on Marine Parade, within the road closure area. Please access the area via Pacific Avenue before 6.30am. The area will be locked from 6.30am until the end of the service at 8.30am.
Dawn service organising committee
Tauranga City Council is proud to stand alongside tangata whenua to ensure this important day is commemorated every year.
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.
Previous services can be viewed below:
2025 Waitangi Day service livestream
2024 Waitangi Day service livestream
2023 Waitangi Day service livestream
2022 Waitangi Day service livestream