Tamati Coffey wants Rotorua's Lakeside concert as Waitangi Day event

Waiariki MP Tamati Coffey has begun a petition to see Lakeside changed to a Waitangi Day celebration. Photo / File

A petition to make Rotorua's Lakeside concert a Waitangi Day celebration has already garnered more than 100 signatures.

Waiariki MP Tamati Coffey started the petition on Saturday after calls this year for a recognised Waitangi celebration in Rotorua.

In a Facebook post on his Tamati Coffey - Labour MP for Waiariki page, the politician said he wanted the change to happen and if people wanted it too then they could sign the petition.

"I'd like to convince the Trustees of Lakeside that this move to combine Waitangi Day and Lakeside is supported by our community and our region," he said.

"There is currently no event in Rotorua on Waitangi Day. They celebrate in London, Sydney, Gold Coast, but not here."

Some people commenting on the page agreed with Coffey, one saying she couldn't believe there were no events in Rotorua.

"We searched for things to do in Rotorua but there was nothing. Couldn't believe it. So we went to visit with our Tuwharetoa whanaunga and enjoyed the concert," she said.

While others wanted to celebrate Waitangi Day but disagreed with merging the two.

"Lakeside is an amazing event and should be left to itself. Waitangi Day should also be celebrated on its own day for its own special reason. No to a merge," one person wrote.

When asked last week, Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick, who is a member of the Lakeside Concert Charitable Trust which runs the annual concerts, said she had asked the trust to consider changing the date to Waitangi weekend.

Trust chairman Ian Edward said he was open to considering the idea.