The class responded to the poem "Waitangi Day 2019" (by Alice Te Punga Somerville) with their own short pieces of personal writing. The pieces written were all honest and thought-provoking. It was hard to choose only a selection, but the following pieces give an idea of the range of voices and writing styles we are lucky to have in the class.

A Glass Half-full - by Delilah 

I view Waitangi Day as a day of reflection. I can admit that I’m not as vocal about the controversy around the topic, I don’t discuss whether we should celebrate the day nor do I join the local protests in town. I prefer to reflect on the day silently. I wonder what our lives would have been like if the treaty hadn’t been mistranslated, or if people hadn’t found the confidence to protest for their rights in the 1970s. But importantly, I acknowledge that in reality this land had been stolen from its original owners. So I can be glad that people are finally earning compensation in place of their ancestors. That we can start celebrating Waitangi Day as a day of change and not one that celebrates the treaty.

Coming from a Pakeha/Niuean background, reflecting on the changes happening in New Zealand is something that I find very important. I can recall my Dad telling me stories about his childhood, and how a lot of people liked to assume what he could or couldn’t afford. He got asked a lot of questions back in 80s South Auckland, like ‘Can you afford socks and shoes?’ and ‘What kind of stuff do you eat?’ But he didn’t sulk or anything when telling me those kinds of stories, he laughed at how foolish times were back then.

In a way, I feel like that’s the goal of Waitangi Day. Once everyone earns their compensation, and everyone is treated equally, we can all look back at times when people didn’t realise the importance of understanding the history of Aotearoa. We can look back and laugh about what an ignorant bunch we all were back in the day. 

Waitangi Day - by Shanti 

As Māori, I believe that Waitangi is a significant day in Aotearoa’s history. The signing of the treaty was to bring peace between both Māori and European settlers; this day should be remembered because of how Te Tiriti o Waitangi has evolved. The treaty promised Māori had the right to keep their rangatiratanga over their lands which has been shown to today’s date. Although, some prejudices are still faced in our society, as was the poet from our reading in class. Personally I haven’t faced prejudice and have been living in NZ for my whole life.

I love living in Aotearoa, knowing my ancestral ties date back on this beautiful land. My marae, Aotea, is placed in Taranaki where some of my whānau live. Living in Dunedin means I don’t get to see my family as much but I am still able to do things that remind me of my whānau. I am a part of our school Kapa Haka and thrive in our waiata and haka we perform, showcasing the reo of this land. Growing up I started Kapa Haka at my old school where my love for singing waiata with my friends grew. Carrying on into high school meant that I was able to continue this passion which connects me to my culture and whānau.

Waitangi Day 2024 - by Emily 

The Octagon’s parchment tile leeches

through ink blot;

A mass that swells with papery convection.

There is quilled marching.

There are voices with a honed edge.

There is a hum in the city

so the bus signs are rattling in two-nailed glory

and the fern fronds curl handles in brick.

There are men made of marble on the television screen

and they are grinning with plaster teeth;

Vesuvian canines.

He says we are in a new time,

despite him living in the old,

and in the side-striking wind his origami suit

waves with an azure hand.

Amends - by Hannah 

Rich culture, held in the cruel hands of “the first” settlers,

Squeezed into a tiny ball,

Tension so great - ready to explode.

Viscious pen, held by white fingers,

Words are written in trickery,

Paper filled with words that don't want to be read

Drop your pen and release your tight fist,

To watch the beautiful culture that my ancestors suppressed so unfairly,

Explode in fierce red, white, and black.

A community reunited.

Strength in the arms of peace that we someday wish for,

A step forward, as an old piece of history steps back.

Land still to be returned,

Amends still to be made,

Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

An Expat’s Anger, Waitangi Day 2024 - by Uma 

I’ve only lived in New Zealand for a third of my life, but I feel that it’s become an essential part of me. But it couldn’t be what it is today if it weren’t for Māori settlers arriving here by waka centuries ago. Their relationship with and right to this land cannot be understated. Pakeha settlers’ attempts to rob them of this country under the guise of “legal rights” and “improving New Zealand” fail to see what makes a country. A country is defined by its land and how its people use it. The way Māori have traditionally used land was held up by values of never inhibiting the ecosystem or harming the integrity of Aotearoa itself. Modern Kiwi politicians see our land as something to exploit and suck oil out of to further their petty political rivalries.

Waitangi Day is more than a holiday. It is a chance to protest and stand up for the rights of Māori who deserve the land they shaped and defined. Land is being begged, bartered with, and bombed all over the world. How far are we from being like Ukraine or Palestine? How far are we from a country divided not just by the Cook Strait, but by land theft?

The new government’s proposed bill to impede on this country's founding document should be illegal. They are trying to whittle down what sovereignty means to brutalise such an integral part of te ao Māori and in turn, they will chip away at Aotearoa’s resources and integrity until we are left with a husk of a country. That is what makes Waitangi Day 2024 different to most Waitangi days passed. I hope that it is not the last.