Kaihatu Te Kenehi Teira, of Heritage New Zealand, said a wahi tupuna is a place important to Maori for ancestral significance and cultural and traditional values.

"I am just as committed today to leading National to victory at the next election as I was when first taking up the role as your leader in November 2006," Key said.

The 175th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi is a time of special reflection for all Kiwis, Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae has said in his Waitangi Day address.

A hikoi comprised of several different protest groups has made its way to the upper marae at Waitangi.

Waitangi is usually about domestic friction, but yesterday war overseas dominated on the marae.

But iwi group will not take its founding trustees to court to recover lost "Treelords" settlement cash because of cost and "ongoing damage to the reputation of the trust".

Tribunal report says Maori chiefs who signed the Treaty of Waitangi did not cede sovereignty but Treaty Negotations Minister says that doesn't change Crown's position.

Visitors to the splendid Treaty grounds at Waitangi probably assume the taxpayers of New Zealand happily pay for the facilities there.

Prime Minister John Key says he's upset that the Waitangi National Trust is charging New Zealanders $15 to enter the historic Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

It's the middle of summer but you wouldn't know it as dozens of kaihoe (paddlers) brave the drizzle and blustery winds at Waitangi on what is New Zealand's most historic day.

Ngapuhi factions say PM John Key used his Waitangi Day speech as a platform to prematurely force a historic settlement with Ngapuhi in election year for political gain.

The Governor-General believes protesters "disrespected" his role but not him as an individual during an altercation outside the whare at Te Tii Marae at Waitangi today.

At Waitangi, a light-hearted church service led by the country's politicians and iwi leaders kicked off the day's events this morning, followed by kapa haka and waka activities. Some members of the community also took part in an anti-violence hikoi. Elsewhere, Kiwis are celebrating Waitangi Day by soaking up the sun with friends and family.

A Waitangi elder has used the opening of a historic Waitangi Tribunal hearing to call on the Government to buy back private land in the Bay of Islands so it can be returned to hapu.

Astoush over the upcoming auction of mobile spectrum could now go before the Waitangi Tribunal after the Government said it would not set any aside for Maori.

The foreshore at Waitangi turned muddy in the bright sun this morning as waka paddlers delighted thousands with haka.

Prime Minister John Key has used his annual address at Waitangi to make the case for the day to keep its edge, warts and all.

A light-hearted church service led by the country's politicians and iwi leaders has kicked off Waitangi Day.

Waitangi Trust launches fundraising drive because it receives no taxpayer money.

The Government's water rights consultation hui is not robust or long enough, according to Ngati Maniapoto leaders.

The Maori King and the Prime Minister drew the battle lines, with the former saying "Maori'' and the latter saying "No One''. Today, two legal academics explore the deep currents that lie beneath each claim.

In our second debate on the Electoral Commission's recommendations for MMP, Graeme Edgeler and Muriel Newman put the arguments for and against reducing the threshold. Join the debate and leave your comments at the end.