After the pōwhiri, dignitaries will be invited to speak on the significance of the day and site. Historian Pat Parsons will be speaking, as well as Keith Newman and Martin Williams.
To complete the morning, a Treaty workshop will be hosted by Tāwhana and Robin Chadwick.
Hastings district councillor Ann Redstone, chairwoman of the Waipureku Waitangi Trust, which organises the event, said they were expecting crowds to exceed the hundreds who attended the event prior to Covid restrictions. Sponsorship has been provided from Hastings District Council, Napier City Council, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, and the Ministry of Culture and Heritage.
“This event was first organised by Jim and Marie Edwards more than 20 years ago, with rides in the mighty waka Ngā Tukemata o Kahungunu a central feature. However, the state of the river stopped this, although waka taurua have remained an important part of the commemoration,” Redstone said.
“With the iwi organising a much bigger family festival starting later in the day at the Mitre 10 Park, we have focused on making an opportunity for remembering the signing of the Treaty and reflecting on what this means to us as Treaty partners.
“We hope this commemoration will bring us closer to “He iwi kotahi tātau”, a statement uttered in February 1840 that is about aspiring as one, but respecting the mana and identity of each other toward nation building.”