Northland welcome for Lions teams

In 2011 the Canadian rugby team was welcomed onto the Waitangi Treaty Grounds during the Rugby World Cup. The British and Irish Lions side will follow suit on June 4. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The British and Irish Lions squad will witness a haka where Maori chiefs first signed New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi.

There will be a traditional powhiri, or welcome, for the visitors at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Northland on June 4, the day after the first match against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians in Whangarei.

There will be a traditional powhiri for the visitors at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

The welcome will begin in front of the ceremonial war canoe Ngatokimatawhaorua and conclude at Te Whare Runanga, the meeting house.

It includes a three-part challenge with each kaiwero, or challenger, presenting a taki (offering) on the ground in front of three selected Lions representatives. This will be followed by a karanga, or call of welcome, and haka.

Waitangi Treaty Grounds chief executive Greg McManus said he was delighted the team had accepted the invitation to be welcomed onto Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

"It will be an honour to have the British and Irish Lions at the birthplace of the nation.
"There could be no more appropriate place to welcome the team and their supporters to our shores as they embark on their six-week tour of New Zealand."

Series general manager Nigel Cass said as well as welcoming the team, New Zealand Rugby was also very grateful to Waitangi Treaty Grounds for opening the event to visiting fans and locals.

"It will make for a truly incredible atmosphere and is set to be a highlight of the series."
More information on attending the welcome will be announced before the arrival of the British and Irish Lions.

Meanwhile, three of New Zealand's most historically important documents - inncluding the treaty - have been moved and will be bettered displayed in future.

The Treaty of Waitangi, the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand and the Women's Suffrage Petition were moved overnight on Friday from Archives New Zealand to the nearby National Library in Wellington.

On Saturday there will be a ceremonial procession to mark the move, which is in preparation for the opening of He Tohu, the new permanent exhibition of the documents at the National Library.

He Tohu opens to the public on May 20.

It will have a document room and an interpretive space.

The documents remain under the guardianship and care of Archives New Zealand.