WAITANGI EVENTS IN THE PILBARA

source: Haka For Life

Waitangi Day is celebrated around the world by Maaori and in the Pilbara there is an event in Tom Price and Pannawonica happening tomorrow (Saturday 4, 2022),

Pa Wars involves touch Rugby, tug a War, Flag Relay and the  11m relay is part of the Pannawonica event and Haka for life has been invited to teach haka. 

Haka for life tutor, Daylan Waetford says that Waitangi Day makes her happy and sad.   There are two texts of the Treaty of Waitangi and that is why Maaori protest.

“Our people were under a lot of stress from having wars and discrepancies with the Europeans Colonising our land and our people,” she said.

Our people came together and they stood up for what they knew. What was right and also they understood the way that the colonised people were working. So that's what makes me happy. What makes me sad is the treatment of the people after the Treaty of Waitangi was signed.

It makes me angry that it has taken a century to give  us the power to stand up and just point out the facts and point out that we have been wronged and that we've got a piece of paper to say that .”

Haka, Corroboree for Life is a movement that empowers men to speak out about depression, anxiety and suicide.

“We would like to be able to discuss the concept of the silence that people may feel but there is no silence when haka is performed so that's one thing that we would like to share with people at Pannawonica, Ms Waetford said. 

“The other one is to share the culture, we are  going through a time where people are just interested in either connecting and I  know that people here in Australia, have ties to Maaori or ties to New Zealand and have never seen or performed haka so we would love to be able to have a chance to reconnect with those guys.”

The Tom Price Waitangi event will feature a MaaoriOke and Wearable arts Competition.