Joyful theme for Waitangi Day festival

1 February 2024

E te tii, e te taa, e poowhiritia atu kia koutou e Te Whare Taonga O Waikato kia haeremai kia whakatau mai raa ki runga ote raa o Waitangi. Kia nohotahi, kia koorerotahi, kia waiatatahi i roto ite whakaaro kotahi mo tenei raa whakahirahira mo Aotearoa. Nau mai haere mai raa!

[To one and all, Te Whare Taonga O Waikato would love to welcome you to join us here at the Museum to celebrate and commemorate Waitangi Day. There are songs, stories, and activities for young and old. Come, join us and help remember this very important day for our country. All are welcome!]

Live music, craft workshops and a public koorero (talk) by artists Lissy and Rudi Robinson-Cole will be part of the family-friendly activities at Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato on Tuesday 6 February 2024 to mark Waitangi Day and the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The events are linked by the theme ‘Haerenga ki Harikoa | Journey to Joy’ which celebrates the transformative power of creativity.

“Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato is a proudly bicultural organisation and Waitangi Day provides another opportunity for important conversations about our shared history and the potential of Aotearoa New Zealand’s future. We strive to meet our responsibilities of partnership under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and acknowledge this is an on-going journey,” said Liz Cotton, Director of Museum and Arts, Waikato Museum.

“Lissy and Rudi are the headline act for our Waitangi Day festival. Their spectacular Wharenui Harikoa has drawn thousands of visitors to the Museum this summer and the years-long story behind its creation is just as impactful as the crocheted structure itself. We’re so proud to have been the first venue in Aotearoa New Zealand to present Lissy and Rudi’s completed work and tautoko their tribute to the healing power of art.”

“Ngaa mihi nui to Hamilton City Council’s Partnerships, Communication and Maaori team for their support of this vibrant Waitangi Day programme.”

The day begins with a collaborative craft session using wool to make pompoms and whetuu (star shapes), as many of the kaimahi (staff) at Waikato Museum have been learning to crochet since the arrival of Wharenui Harikoa. All materials are supplied free of charge to visitors.

Heralded at arts festivals around the motu, Rutene Spooner is bringing his song-filled show Pīpī Paopao, which is recommended for pre-school children and their whaanau. The performance begins at 12.30pm and is free to attend.

Bringing more interactive creativity, artist Wikitoria Tahukaraina-Simon will lead a free workshop at 2pm, getting hands-on with uku/clay to create small objects which attendees can take home with them.

From 3pm, live music will fill the galleries with free performances by local musicians Tīpene Clarke, Kahurangi Heta, and Adam Whauwhau.

Visitors will also be able to immerse themselves in te ao Maaori (the Maaori world view) by enjoying the Museum’s permanent displays including the majestic Te Winika a 200-year-old carved waka taua (war canoe), and exhibitions such as Toi Koru: Sandy Adsett, a career-spanning retrospective of paintings by Dr Sandy Adsett, developed and toured by Pātaka Art + Museum, and Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award, on tour from the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, which showcases emerging Maaori artists.

Waikato Museum is open daily 10am to 5pm including on the Waitangi Day public holiday, Tuesday 6 February 2024. Entry is free and all activities on Waitangi Day are free, with the exception of the public talk by Lissy and Rudi Robinson-Cole (tickets $25+booking fees) and the standard entry costs for Exscite, the Museum’s interactive centre for discovery.

For more information and ticketing links, visit www.waikatomuseum.co.nz/waitangi

Please note

For te reo Maaori, Waikato Museum uses double vowels (uu) in place of vowels with a macron (ū) to represent a long vowel sound. This spelling approach is the preference of tangata whenua in Hamilton Kirikiriroa and Waikato iwi for te reo Maaori words. Artists’ titles are shown in their original form.