Reflecting on Waitangi 2023
3 Feb 2023
Around 10,000 people gathered at Te Tii Marae in 1934 for the first official commemoration of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Around 10,000 people gathered at Te Tii Marae in 1934 for the first official commemoration of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The crowds witnessed a day of formal speeches, waiata and haka. The event was captured on film and shared as a newsreel in local cinemas for audiences across Aotearoa to also witness the spectacle.
Hero image: Still from the video, 'Reflecting on Waitangi'.
Reflecting on Waitangi (2023)
Since then, the annual commemorations of Waitangi Day have been recorded on film and video, allowing us to observe changes to the event and the public response over many years. This archival footage from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision’s collection reflects how the signing of Te Tiriti has been documented over the years. The loop features clips from events in 1934, 1940, 1977, 1990, 1999 and 2003.