Onuku Waitangi Day 2025 will host the New Zealand Prime Minister due to the incredible historic significance of Onuku and Akaroa – a ‘set of narratives richer than Waitangi.’
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Te Rūnganga o Ngāi Tahu chairperson Rik Tainui said “it was at Ōnuku on 30 May 1840 that Te Tiriti o Waitangi was first signed within the Ngāi Tahu takiwā. Later, in 1998, the Crown delivered its formal apology to Ngāi Tahu for breaches of Te Tiriti at this same location.”
That Crown apology to Ngāi Tahu in 1998 was delivered by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, not the first Prime Minister to visit Ōnuku!
Onuku Waitangi Day 2025 celebrations plan to “showcase our famous manākitanga (hospitality) and strengthen the relationships between tangata whenua and the Crown, for the benefit of all our communities in New Zealand,” said Tainui.
Onuku are famous for their hospitality, and is a principle driver of cultural values around harbour protection for kai moana and mahinnga kai. Specifically around removing Akaroa wastewater treatment from Takapūneke and stopping discharge into the harbour, recently in the news .
Pōwhiri (welcome) will start at 9am and hundreds of guests are expected to attend Onuku Waitangi Day 2025, including the Prime Minister and Governor General, as well as many from the local Akaroa community.
Onuku Waitangi Day celebrations have hosted Prime Ministers before, notably when Helen Clark was hosted in 2000 after protests at Waitangi.
Why is the Onuku Waitangi connection so important?
Onuku is where the Treaty of Waitangi / Te Tiriti O Waitangi was first signed in the South Island, on 30 May 1840, when Bunbury was sent South on the HMS Herald with the Bunbury Herald copy of Te Tiriti.
A full ten years prior to that however the Brig Elizabeth arrived to Takapūneke with warriors from another tribe hidden below decks in what became a horrific incident that led to the first British intervention in New Zealand.
How are Onuku and Takapūneke linked?
Takapūneke was a horrific incident that led to British intervention in New Zealand.
British intervention eventually led to the Treaty of Waitangi.
One significant contribution to the British creating the Treaty was the French ‘purchase’ of Banks Peninsula by Captain Langlois.
The French had their eyes on the South Island and the British wanted to make sure they claimed it first. Leading to the Onuku Waitangi signing.
Akaroa – Richer than Waitangi
Historian Harry Evison stated Akaroa has a richer ‘set of narratives around the Nations identity than Waitangi’ this includes three main sites, Takapūneke, Ōnuku and the Britomart Monument.
Lost in its significance now, the Britomart Monument was once recognised as the premier historic site in the South Island, and due to its significance hosted the Prime Minister and Governor at the South Islands Premier 1940 Centennial Celebrations.
Ngai Tahu and Ōnuku were strongly represented at these 1940 celebrations, due to the Treaty of Waitangi being a direct agreement with Queen Victoria, the British Crown.
The Britomart Monument is where the British first demonstrated sovereignty in the South Island, to make the British claim clear to the French who arrived only 5 days later.
The Seventh Generation Personal Connection
I have a personal connection to these stories, my family arrived first as a French whaler, and then as French settlers, intimately connected to these places and stories.
My Great-great-Grandad himself hosted the Governor and Prime Minister at his house not once but twice, first at the 1898 Monument celebrations and then again in 1940 at the New Zealand Centenary Celebrations where a large Onuku Waitangi Celebration was again held.
Akaroa History Tours
Akaroa tells such an important multicultural narrative in New Zealand’s foundation, it’s story is incredibly rich and surprising.
The historic events in Akaroa cover many of the big ideas in the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum, Akaroa is the perfect place for school history tours.
Ōnuku hosts large groups and Noho Marae, in a stunning historical and coastal setting.
For conference groups, teacher training and staff Treaty of Waitangi training contact Marie at The Seventh Generation Tours Akaroa, there is a reason she was a finalist in the 2024 New Zealand Tourism Business Excellence Awards!
Or book an exclusive Private Tour or join Marie on the Akaroa History and Nature Tour, all 5 ⭐️ reviews!
