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Young people in carved deep-red waka bailing out water. Behind them the sea is serene and light blue, almost blending in to the sky.  Photo: Eda Tang.

Waitangi Day 2026 in pictures

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By The D*List

A surfing dog, a tightly packed bridge, and manus for as long as the sun is up.

  • This year, the D*List debuted a marquee at Waitangi 2026 at Te Tii marae next to Deaf Action NZ. Here are some snaps from The D*List team. 

Image description: The backs of a group of tangata whaikaha looking out to Te Tii beach from a grass field in the early morning. A woman in a wheelchair holding a coffee is coming down a ramp from the side of a van to join them. There is a busy walking crowd in front of them. On the right side there are some children climbing up a bamboo structure. Photo: Eda Tang.

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  • It's about 7.30am in this photo, but it's a relatively late start compared to the many who attended the dawn ceremonies on Waitangi Day. Coffee makes good business here. 

Image description: A small white French bulldog wearing an orange life jacket surfs on a small wave, balancing on a surfboard which flies Te Kara, The Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand. Photo: Eda Tang.

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  • Bosco, the surfer dog, unofficially opens the waka parade in the morning. The massive crowds at the beaches cheered as he glided effortlessly on his board, dragged by a small motorboat. 

Image description: Group of people holding oars stand in shallow water beside a waka. Photo: Eda Tang.

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  • The kaihoe of the waka came from all ages, genders and regions. Could there be a future Waitangi where there is a waka paddled by whānau hauā?

Image description: A golf buggy with a yellow license plate reading "KAUMA2A" offers free rides during Waitangi. People walk along the path in the background. Photo: Eda Tang.

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Te Kapa Haka o Muriwhenua treat audiences to a haka bracket. 

Image description: Lines of men, including a child, wearing black uniform hold their fists in the air while they pūkana at an off-camera audience. Photo: Eda Tang.

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  • Ngaakohu Paapuni (Te Tai Tokerau) shared a wonderful anecdote with us when we shared how our kaupapa is changing narratives on disability. 

    "When I asked my child, 'he aha te tangi a te kurī?', what sound does a dog make, they said, 'woof'. And I said 'kāo, it's the sound that they tell you it makes'. So it's important that we understand our kōrero so that we maintain our narrative, that they're never replaced or substituted by something that's inaccurate which in turn creates confusion about our own whakatūākiritanga."

Image description: Ngaakohu Paapuni, a man in sunglasses and a brown vest with a tino flag on the left shoulder stands in a tent. Woven kete, art prints and woven pōtae are suspended around him. Photo: Eda Tang.

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Image description: A group of people are gathered on a bridge, some poised to jump into the water. They are surrounded by Tino Rangatiratanga flags and Te Kara. Photo: Eda Tang.

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  • Te Tiriti o Waitangi 1840 (the wharenui) celebrates its first anniversary since its reopening in February 2025. Its renovated interior and ātea includes a wide, landscaped ramp entrance and mobility parking, making it more inclusive for manuhiri. 

Image description: An intricately carved wooden entrance painted red to a wharenui displays a sign reading 'Te Tiriti O Waitangi 1840' above the doorway, with people visible inside. Photo: Eda Tang.

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