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Kia Ora (Maori version of Hello that has been picked up as English slang here), Happy Waitangi Day! What, you don’t know what Waitangi Day is all about? Don’t despair, neither do half the people who live in New Zealand and even those who do will probably argue with the others about the true meaning of Waitangi Day. Waitangi Day is celebrated in Waitangi, New Zealand, and elsewhere around the country, every year on February 6th to mark the signing of the treaty of Waitangi, the treaty which some claim was the creation of New Zealand. This was the treaty between the native Maori population and the crown of England bringing them together, promising the Maori the continued rights to their lands and the full rights of British citizenship. Apparently, the interpretation of this treaty has always been in dispute (big shocker there, isn’t it? I’m having flashbacks of Native American history) with the Maori believing that the treaty is law and the crown believing that is more of a suggestion than a mandate. Oh Britain, you were so kind to your colonized peoples weren’t you? Maybe the Maori should have had a tea party instead, but what do I know? Those good former colonies that didn’t pick a fight with the crown get to move around without much hassle and live and work in almost any of the other countries under the crown. It is rarely that easy for Americans, but that may also be because we make it insanely difficult for anyone else to come in and live and work in the US. But that is all better left for another day and another discussion. Back to Waitangi Day.
For most people in New Zealand, Waitangi Day is just another public holiday where they either don’t have to go to work at all or they get paid time and half plus they get a day in lieu (another day that they can take off and still get paid for it). The big scandal this year was that February 6th fell on a Saturday, so for many people they got neither a day off nor time and a half. This prompted a public outcry to make the public holiday extend to Monday the 8th as well. As you might imagine, this did not go over very well with employers and the government opted not to extend the public holiday to the chagrin of many Monday to Friday workers.
In Queenstown, Waitangi Day for those who weren’t working meant one of two things; you either got tickets to Rippon, a big music festival over in Wanaka, or you went down to the beach and sat in the sun and listened to the DJ playing Bob Marley. Either way, the sun was shining and people were enjoying the day off in paradise. I still have not heard a single haka and I’ve only seen one United Tribes flag and that was hanging off of the DJ’s booth down by the beach. The New Zealand Sevens Rugby Tournament in Wellington seems to have gotten much more attention than Waitangi Day, so I’m not sure what that says about the importance of the day, but there you have it.