This year was a departure from New Zealanders’ previous experiences of our national day. Most Waitangi Day gatherings were curtailed or cancelled due to public health considerations, but the advent of pre-recorded broadcasts enabled a broad audience to witness a thoughtful national conversation about what our national day means to us in 2022.
A range of perspectives was eloquently represented in the contributions of the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and other political leaders, the Chief Justice and iwi leaders, thereby affirming the constitutional significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the evolving relationship between Treaty partners.
Dame Cindy was also interviewed by Radio New Zealand's Julian Wilcox for Waitangi Day: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/waitangiday/audio/2018829505/dame-cindy-kiro.
As Government House’s customary Waitangi Day garden reception could not be held this year, manaakitanga was instead extended to a neighbouring social service, the Wellington City Mission’s Social Supermarket, and in Auckland, to the RNZSPCA.
Today, 6 February is also a particularly significant anniversary for New Zealand’s Head of State, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, as it marks 70 years since Her Majesty's accession to the Crown. Buckingham Palace has published a message from Queen Elizabeth to mark the occasion, and Dame Cindy joins New Zealanders and people around the world in congratulating Her Majesty for an extraordinary record of devoted service.
