National day starts with fun and games

The cooler weather didn't deter thousands of people turning out to visit Hawke's Bay's two major Waitangi Day events at Clive and Hastings.

A focus on music, sport and health was the order of the day for the Ngati Kahungunu Iwi-led Waitangi National Day at the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park in Hastings.

Organiser Te Rangi Huata said reggae band Tomorrow People attracted a big crowd when they performed on stage in front of the 2500-seat sports park grandstand.

"We had to put them on in the morning because they had to be back in Wellington for another show at 3pm. But we're really pleased with the turnout and the number of people who came to see them perform."

Mr Huata said he expected more than 5000 people to experience the Waitangi Day event which had the theme "caring and sharing".

"The sharing is in terms of people seeing and hearing the kapa haka performance we've had and the caring is in terms of encouraging people to look after their health."

Marae kapa haka groups performed and a sports competition, with five codes, was launched at the start of the day.

The Hawke's Bay PHO had staff at the park offering free heart, cervical and mammogram health tests for the public. There was also a family care centre for breastfeeding.

At the Waitangi Family Festival in Clive, Hastings mayor Lawrence Yule put in apologies for National's Hawke's Bay MPs Craig Foss and Chris Tremain.

"It is a shame that our two MPs, who are now ministers, are away. I did speak to them this morning and they send their apologies.

"I was at Waitangi yesterday and I was fortunate to see that the crowd there is getting bigger and the police presence has reduced as people look to celebrate Waitangi Day. It symbolises how far New Zealand has come."

Mr Yule was among a number of Hastings and Napier councillors who were first to take a ride in the waka taua, Nga Tuke Mata o Kahungunu, on the Clive River as the Waitangi Day hikoi arrived in Clive from Waipatu.

Visitors to the family festival were invited to sign the Treaty of Peace and Unity, presented by the Hawke's Bay branch of the Genealogists, who were dressed in costume representing early European settlers.