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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Eva Corlett in Wellington

Waitangi Day: record crowds expected amid tensions over Māori policy in New Zealand

Hikoi members walk up Bastion Point towards Ngāti Whātua Orakei marae on day three of a nine-day journey to Wellington to protect and advocate for the interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi and Māori rights
Organisers are expecting record attendance at Waitangi Day, after a difficult year between the New Zealand government and Māori. Photograph: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Organisers of New Zealand’s national day commemorating the signing of the country’s founding treaty between Māori tribes and the British crown are expecting record attendance in 2025, following a year of rising tensions over the government’s policy direction for Māori.

In February, tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on Waitangi, in New Zealand’s Northland region, to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which was signed by Māori chiefs and the British Crown in 1840 and is instrumental in upholding Māori rights.

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