Commemorate Waitangi Day and See the Original Tiriti /treaty

Commemorate this Waitangi Day by visiting He Tohu at the National Library and see the original 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Take part in te reo Māori workshops, go on a bilingual tour, dress up in historical costumes, make your own treaty, or leave a pledge for how you will contribute to a more equitable Aotearoa New Zealand in 2023.

See the Treaty of Waitangi
Come and get up close and personal with the Treaty of Waitangi at the National Library this Waitangi Day! Explore our range of reflective activities for you and your whānau.

Home Café and He Matapihi Molesworth Library will also be open to the public.

Guided tours of He Tohu
Join our kaiārahi for 30-minute tours of our multi-award-winning exhibition He Tohu. Our tour guides will take you through the exhibition and delve into some of the stories surrounding the nine original sheets of the 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi, one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding documents.

Tour times
From 10am until 4pm — Tours begin on the hour and half hour
11am and 1pm — Bilingual tours
He Tohu

Film screening — compilation of historical footage of Waitangi Day commemorations
Watch a 30-minute compilation of historical footage of Waitangi Day commemorations courtesy of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. Through highlights drawn from Ngā Taonga’s audiovisual collections, we can reflect on how the signing of Te Tiriti has been marked over the years.

The films are shown in a loop between 9.30am and 4.30pm and go for 30min.

Whānau activities
We've got activities for all the whānau, from making your own treaty to practicing your te reo Māori pronunciation. Come down and join us

Make your own treaty
Make your own treaty sheet out of paper. What agreement would you make with your whānau and visitors to your whare? Visit He Tohu and add a rubbing of the seal of the British Crown.

This activity will be available all day.

Dress up like in 1840
Dress up as if you were at the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and take a photo of yourself in costume.

This activity will be available all day.

Te reo Māori workshops
Join use for te reo Māori pronunciation workshops and get enjoy singing waiata.

Workshop times
11:30am — Pronunciation workshop
1:30pm — Waiata workshop
Timeline activity
All hands on deck! Join us to build a timeline of Aotearoa New Zealand’s history, attaching key historical moments to a shipping rope.

Timeline activity times
10:30am and 2:30pm

‘People of Te Tiriti o Waitangi’ banners
View an installation of four giant banners featuring Treaty signatories. The banners depict individuals (Hone Heke, Te Rangitopeora, Ereōnora and Panakareao, and Te Ware Pouri / Te Wharepōuri) whose actions shaped one of our founding documents, Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

This activity will be available all day.

Check before you come
Due to COVID-19 some of our events can be cancelled or postponed at very short notice. Please check the website for updated information about individual events before you come.

Image: Banners commemorating Waitangi Day in Te Ahumairangi Ground Floor. Photo by Llewellyn Jones.