Opinion: Today we celebrate Waitangi Day

A Waitangi Day dawn service at Mount Maunganui. Photo / File

Waitangi Day is more than a public holiday that gets people off work for the day.

It's a day to celebrate the 1840 signing of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi or Treaty of Waitangi, in which representatives of the British Crown and Māori chiefs signed what is considered to be New Zealand's founding document.

It also acknowledges a part of New Zealand's history and is celebrated today, and every year on February 6.

Official celebrations are held at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in the Bay of Islands in Northland but towns and cities around the country also hold their own events to celebrate the day too.

We are no different in the Western Bay of Plenty, where a dawn service was held on at Hopukiore, or the Mount Drury Reserve, starting with a karakia by tangata whenua. It was followed by a community service, speeches and hymns as well as an open forum allowing people to share their thoughts on what Waitangi Day means to them.

The Tauranga dawn service was originally initiated by Māori elders and members of the Tauranga Moana District Māori Council in the late 1970s and continues to be a day of celebration today.

While many were to attend the event, there will no doubt be some spending their Waitangi Day with a day off from work without giving a second throught as to why. There may even be some people who don't even know what Waitangi Day is.

Any part of New Zealand's history is important to acknowledge. It makes us who we are today so whatever you do and however you spend today, I encourage you to at least discuss the topic and find out what the day means to them.

Have a chat to a loved one or friend, or even a stranger if you're so inclined, and find out how others view the day. It will probably be interesting to talk to a child about it ... they probably have a new insight into the topic and may even educate a few of us as well.

No matter how you spend your Waitangi Day, let's hope it is a safe one.