Embracing Te Tiriti Kāpiti

29/04/2026

😎 Whooo 11,000 signed overnight alone! Were you one of them?
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16eXMpjRSb/

29/04/2026

We have a mission, whānau - let's make sure we keep advocating for te Tiriti and standing with Māori.

Let's help make the list for this urgent claim - under our peeps at Toitū te Tiriti - as full as it can be 🙌🏼

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=QLcB9ztVL0Clf5dLgRp6SJ2idRPrQ-hGnSwaeORcJPFUQlBIV1dGV05EVlRDUkpIWTVIQlBWU1IxVy4u&route=shorturl&fbclid=Iwb21leARem2pjbGNrBF6bZ2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHlnY9W8zTnjPjCJ4oR7TsamYFOTRdfT4RxVyqQaM1V1eTC62G4dgDgFsxmfd_aem_RkvuKFLYjLs7-5PHCc7qqw

20/02/2026

I've been keeping an eye out for some pics of Waitangi ki Taumanuka from Te Rā o Waitangi - Waitangi Day 2026.
A few of our rōpū were able to head up on the day to be extra hands and feet - it was so busy I didn't take a single photo!

But it wasn't about us - check out the pics from hosts Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki and collab partners Kāpiti Coast District Council of the fantastic day - Ōtaki, you always show up 🤗

And ngā mihi nunui for having us - recognise some faces in here from kōrero at the inflatables and directing (misdirecting?!) cars in the carpark 😁🤗

Looking forward to next year!

05/02/2026

Te Awa Kairangi - Whānau time at Dowse SATURDAY 7th February 🫶🏼

A free community celebration featuring local kapa haka and cultural performances, creative and cultural activities for all ages.Hangi and other kai availableAlcohol and smoke-free, and open to all ages.

05/02/2026

Porirua is bringing it this te rā o Waitangi - the beautiful Pātaka Museum and Gallery have some exhibitions, speakers, music and whānau friendly fun happening.

(It's tough choices e te whānau but we don't think any of them would be wrong!)

Manaakitanga, kotahitanga and celebrating the taonga te Tiriti o Waitangi has gifted all of us here in Aotearoa- how fortunate are we, hey 🫶🏼

05/02/2026

Waitangi ki Taumanuka is TOMORROW (whoop!) and not only are there going to be whānau friendly activities, kai trucks and some stellar entertainment, but the one, the only, the talented ŌTAKI KIDS MARKET will be there too! Get to...

Taumanuka, Health Camp Road, Ōtaki Beach

Pōwhiri
Event opens at 10am and will close at 3pm. That's HEAPS of time to check out OKM wares 😎

03/02/2026

There's some other great events happening this Waitangi Day in Te Upoko o te Ika (in fact you could probably even do a Waitangi celebrations hikoi and get them all in 😎)

Pari-ā-Rua Porirua:
https://poriruacity.govt.nz/discover-porirua/waitangi-day/

Pōneke Wellington:
Tiriti Action Group are holding an event on the waterfront and have opportunities to volunteer to be part of kōrero too - registration form and info here https://tiritiactiongroup.nz/

And that runs alongside Wellington City Council's Te Rā o Waitangi - Waitangi Day celebrations https://wellington.govt.nz/news-and-events/events-and-festivals/waitangi-day

Not in the region? Take a peek at what else is happening around the motu and grab a Waitangi refresher while you're at it:

https://voyce.org.nz/waitangi-day-2026-events/

https://www.waitangi.org.nz/whats-on/waitangi-day

And home again, info and a kōrero from Mayor Holborow can be found at https://www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/council/news-and-information/news-and-stories/2026/january/waitangi-ki-taumanuka-2026/

Mauri ora 🫶🏼

Porirua City Council is once again partnering with mana whenua Ngāti Toa to deliver a fun-filled event, one of the largest to take place in New Zealand on our national day.

24/12/2025

On the Eve of Christmas 2025, after the rush of present buying, mad work hours for many (and of course for some, the work keeps going!), the hunt for fresh yet overpriced strawberries, and preparing our little ones for the arrival of Santa Claus - Hana Kōkō, it can be hard to imagine things any other way. Of course, finding evidence of the first Santa landing in Aotearoa is possibly a much more difficult task 🎅🏼

I must admit although I've often thought about it, I haven't really looked into the history of Christmas in this country so of course I had to take a little wander on The Interweb. On December 25th, 1918, the Reverend Samuel Marsden gave what is considered to be the first Christian sermon in Aotearoa, to an audience of both Māori and European settlers. Can we take this as the beginnings of Christmas being celebrated here - what do you think? It's sparked yet another topic of interest for this ETTKer but for tonight at least, it's being added to the ever expanding list!

What a year 2025 has been- there's so much to reflect on and of course it can be easy to focus on the hard stuff. Instead, ETTK genuinely choose to focus on the achievements in our lovely community, because there really have been a lot of them!

❤️ We have met and talked with so many people - what a privilege!
🖤 Kāpiti elected their first ever Māori Ward councillor Himi Grace from a pool of incredible candidates...
🤍 AND held on to our Māori Ward and Constituency
🖤 Ngā kura o Kāpiti made a clear and public statement of support for keeping their commitment to te Tiriti
❤️ A vision for what Embracing Te Tiriti Kāpiti can work towards in the coming new year.

It's so good having you on the waka 🤗

Meri Kirihimete kia koutou katoa - Merry Christmas to you all. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday, and look forward to a busy and future-focused 2026!

Suggested links- https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/samuel-marsdens-first-sermon
https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/marsdens-first-christmas/
https://www.academia.edu/116279950/Samuel_Marsden_Christmas_Day_1814_Did_he_really_preach_in_Te_Reo_Ma_ori