Today's Waitangi Day commemorations were like never before with the Waitangi Treaty Grounds closed due to Covid-19 and ceremonies going online.
Manawa Williams, 9, (Ngāpuhi, Waikato) in Waitangi this morning. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Olley
Waka taua were paddled to Te Tii marae to mark Waitangi Day as part of the scaled back commemorations with around 200 people gathering to watch them come ashore at about 9am this morning.
Cordons stopped visitors' cars from driving around the lower grounds, so spectators came from homes and the marae, or on foot along the beach.
Broadcasters including RNZ National, Newshub and Māori TV markedthe day by running special Waitangi Day programmes.
The Waitangi National Trust announced on 25 January that under the red Covid Protection Framework setting it had no option but to close the Treaty grounds to the public on Waitangi Day. Organisers said opening the grounds was untenable because of limits on gathering sizes under the red traffic light setting.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro both travelled to Waitangi to prerecord their speeches last month. It was on the flight from Kerikeri to Auckland that they became close contacts of a positive Covid-19 case, but subsequently they both tested negative for the virus.
The past couple of years the dawn service at Waitangi has attracted around 1000 people, with up to 40,000 attending commemorations throughout the day.
See how this morning's unique Waitangi Day commemorations unfolded here: