Thousands are expected to attend the South Island’s longest-running Waitangi Day commemoration in Banks Peninsula’s Okains Bay today, following two years of Covid-19-related cancellations.
The community event - co-hosted by Okains Bay Museum and Te Rūnanga o Koukourarata - will be free for the first time since it began in 1976.
Te Rūnanga o Koukourarata chair Mananui Ramsden said organisers did not want cost to be a barrier to whānau participation, with 2000 to 6000 people expected in the bay.
“This is in keeping with the tikanga of the day as set down by our kaumātua/kuia and an acknowledgement of the wider Ngāi Tahu whānui that have been involved with the Waitangi Day commemorations at Okains Bay throughout its 47-year history.”
The day will include family activities, demonstrations, workshops and exhibits set amongst Okains Bay’s extensive museum grounds.