Community To Come Together For Waitangi Day

Waitangi Day will have a new focus in Queenstown with a special community celebration being held in the Queenstown Gardens.

The event has been made possible by a two thousand dollar grant from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and Queenstown Lakes District Council arts and events facilitator Jan Maxwell said it was potentially the first step in the process of launching a district wide celebration.

“We’re regarding this initial event as a pilot scheme, “she said. “If we get a good response, we’ll look at a larger celebration next year, perhaps expanding it to other towns in the district.”

The celebration will be held in the area around the band rotunda in the Queenstown Gardens and Mrs Maxwell said it would be a chance for people to get a taste of Maori culture.
“There’ll be a range of activities on offer like flax weaving and storytelling, “she said. “There’ll be games and live music all afternoon and people are more than welcome to bring a picnic or buy some of the pre-prepared hangi food that will be on sale.”

“It’s a casual day, there’s no entry charge and people can come for a while or stay all day, whatever suits.”

The event runs from 12 noon till late on Monday 6 February in the Queenstown Gardens.