National day unites Māori visitors in show of resistance

Twenty-year-old Keshaan Te Waaka stood for the first time - on the narrow bridge connecting New Zealand's far north coastal town Paihia to the Waitangi treaty grounds, where 185 years ago, Māori chiefs and the British Crown forged a nation-state.

- Eva Corlett

Above her, the red, black and white flags of Māori independence flapped in the breeze. Hundreds of people ambled towards the grounds.

It had taken Te Waaka 10 hours of driving to attend her first Waitangi Day event but there was no sign of fatigue.

"It's amazing here, I love it, I'm just so happy," she said, adding that the widespread symbols of Māori independence and self-determination was something to behold. "Look how many [young Māori people] are here holding their flags - that's something my mum's generation would never have done."

The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi - New Zealand's founding document that is instrumental in upholding Māori rights - has been commemorated as a public holiday on 6 February since 1974, with events around the country and a formal multi-day celebration at the Waitangi grounds.