Waitangi Day

Happy Waitangi Day, everyone! Today, February 6th, is a public holiday in New Zealand, celebrating the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. The treaty is named that because it was signed in Waitangi, which is a city up north of Auckland. The treaty was an agreement between Māori chiefs and the pākehā (non-Māori New Zealanders), which gave the Māori the same rights as British subjects, as well as "giving" them rights to their land. Apparently, it was only loosely followed at first, but now it is adhered to pretty well.

This is an artistic depiction of the signing of the treaty.

As for the holiday, it is not one of the public holidays when everything is absolutely required to be closed (like Christmas and New Years), but schools and many businesses close. People don't do anything special to celebrate the day, other than being happy that they don't have to go to work/school. However, in Waitangi, the Prime Minister does a ceremony, and it is an annual day for protests. Originally, these protests were against injustices done to the Māori in spite of the treaty. However, according to some of my Kiwi friends, now they protest whatever they are upset about that year, and only resort to protesting the treaty if nothing else controversial is happening. Although I have no problem with protests as a way to draw attention to important issues, it is a pity that what was intended to be New Zealand's day to celebrate this wonderful country has become a time to focus on and be frustrated about controversial issues.

I, however, had a lovely Waitangi Day. I slept in, did some reading, went to Anna and Ollie's for a swim and some chit-chat, then managed the hotel for Kirsten in the evening. (Kirsten manages the hotel when the owners are away, but sometimes she needs to leave the office when she's in charge, and so I have been trained to take her place sometimes. It makes me feel rather important.)

I am going to go to sleep fairly early tonight, in preparation for my third day of work tomorrow. I am excited to go back. Obviously, I am just starting to get to know the children and form positive relationships, but it is a great feeling to know that I am staying this time, so we will get to know each other very well over time.