Waitangi Day 2025

The story so far

Waitangi Day 2025 marked the 185th anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with commemorations planned across the country and a major gathering at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands.^{31 Jan 2025; 4 Feb 2025} Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced he would not attend the Waitangi commemorations, and instead spent the day at Ōnuku Marae in Akaroa, hosted by Ngāi Tahu.^{2, 3, 5 Feb 2025} Before the day, Māori leaders warned politicians to expect heated discussions, and Minister Shane Jones threatened to withhold future funding for the Waitangi National Trust after repeated interruptions to a pōwhiri for parliamentarians.^{5 Feb 2025} On Waitangi Day, protesters interrupted Luxon's speech at Ōnuku Marae, and police removed one person from the event. In his speech, Luxon defended his decision not to let the Waitangi site dominate the national day.^{6, 7 Feb 2025} Other events included a record turnout of over 1,000 waka paddlers at Waitangi, while in Wellington about 1,000 people marched to protest what the Mayor described as a failure to uphold te Tiriti.^{6 Feb 2025}

Latest

Reports from 6 February described continued protests and interruptions, including hundreds of people gathering in Wellington against the Treaty Principles Bill. Attendance at Paihia was lower than in previous years.^{6, 7 Feb 2025}

Key moments

1. 5 Feb 2025Luxon announces he will not attend Waitangi, will spend day in Akaroa
2. 5 Feb 2025Shane Jones threatens to withhold Waitangi National Trust funding after interrupted pōwhiri
3. 6 Feb 2025Protesters interrupt Luxon's speech at Ōnuku Marae; one person removed by police
4. 6 Feb 2025Record turnout of over 1,000 waka paddlers at Waitangi commemorations
5. 6 Feb 2025About 1,000 march in Wellington; Paihia attendance lower than previous years

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.