Waitangi Day Celebrations at Moutoa Gardens.
Video Stuart Munro
It was an early start to Waitangi Day for Tamahaia Skinner, who met with local kaumatua and iwi beside the Whanganui River at 6am.
There, they shared a karakia, the first of many for the day and commemorated their tīpuna or ancestors who signed the Treaty of Waitangi on February 6, 1840.
Skinner is one of five people from community group Whakawhanake who were approached three years ago by Koro John Maihi to organise a Waitangi Day event in Whanganui.
Despite all five being employed full time, they spent any spare minutes they had before or after work to organise the event held at Moutoa Gardens or Pākaitore.
Hundreds of locals showed up at Moutoa Gardens, Pākaitore to celebrate Waitangi Day with a karakia, followed by stall visits, fun for the kids and live entertainment. Photo / Stuart Munro
"There was a time nothing was happening in Whanganui, so he approached us and said 'hey can you put something together?' and we couldn't say no," Skinner says.
"The first year was pretty big people-wise. It's a good number here at the moment, but it's still a bit early and there will be more people here later."
Hundreds of people visited the park at 11am for a karakia commemorating the signing of the Treaty and then celebrated with stalls, games and entertainment.
Pākaitore was named after the Battle of Moutoa Island in the Second Taranaki War.
The park is surrounded by Bates St, Market Pl and Taupo Quay and has a memorial on it dedicated to the men that died at Moutoa on May 14, 1864.
It was occupied for 79 days in 1995 as people protested, claiming Pākaitore was a pā and place of trade that had been set aside from the purchase of Whanganui. The claims were denied.
An agreement was later reached over joint management of the gardens involving the Whanganui District Council, the Crown and local iwi, Atihaunui-a-Paparangi.
Tamahaia Skinner helps put together the event celebrating Waitangi Day in Whanganui and says it's a time for New Zealanders to come together. Photo / Stuart Munro
When they started the event, Whakawhanake members had to fund it themselves, but now they do so through a $20 stallholder charge and a gold coin donation for the kids area.
Inside, children can compete in giant games, get their faces painted and go bananas in the bouncy castle.
To Skinner, a teacher at Te Kura o Kokokuia School, Waitangi Day is about remembering and celebrating history.
"It's a time for us to come together as people of New Zealand, no matter who you are, what culture or ethnicity you are. It's a time to celebrate our country," he says.
"The celebration's not as big here as it is up north, but it's something for us here in Whanganui to do. To come together and do something positive."
