Waitangi Weekend gathering

Friends of the Waitara River - Ngaa hoa piri o te Muriwai o Waitara, are
proud to host a Waitangi Weekend gathering this Sunday 5th Feb to Monday
6th Feb at the Waitara Marine (Outfall) Park in Waitara.

The aim is to bring the local community and campaign groups together to
discuss the ongoing polluting of the Waitara river environment from
sewage, farm effluent, oil & gas and other industry waste. This event is
hoped to be the beginning of similar gatherings to work on what we can do
to fix this problem while having some D.I.Y fun for the whole whanau.
Having the event on Waitangi Day is an opportunity to revisit the still
unsettled Wai 6 claim for breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by the
pollution of the Waitara River and reefs.

So... on the Sunday we will be having local bands and musos including Lady
Sheeq and Rawiri, Howie, Tihikura & Urs and othersperforming in the main
marquee. There will be DIY workshops happening around the site all day on
anything from making bamboo bike trailers, knitting slippers ng to tino
rangatiratanga and freshwater testing. There will also be a marquee with
stalls from the contributing community groups with loads of information
about the river and other campaigns they are working on in Taranaki.

The Monday, Waitangi Day, will begin with a historic walkabout then BYO
brunch, followed with the arrival of three waka ama that will be available
for rides up the river. A speaker’s forum then kicks off around 2pm with
presentations from local community environment groups and tangata whenua
on the Wai 6 claim, Te Tiriti and the environmental problems we are
facing. This will be followed by a hikoi into Waitara and a screening of
the documentary Gaslands.

This is a D.I.Y. two-day fun occupation Event!

Please bring your tents, bedding, kai and all other essentials with you.
There will be drinking water on tap but no general power source. There is
a cafe nearby and shops are just a short drive away but please try to come
with everything you need to avoid traffic problems. Public toilets and a
children’s playground are nearby for our use. Please be aware that we will
be camping by the river mouth so children must be supervised at all times.
Follow the Waitara river from the township to the river mouth and you will
find us.

We will be setting up for the event from 5pm on the Saturday if you want
to help out.

For more info or to contribute contact: friendsofwaitarariver@gmail.com
8 McLean Street, PO Box 213, Waitara 4320, Taranaki

Other groups contributing to the event are: Forest & Bird North Taranaki,
Hive Taranaki, Climate Justice Taranaki, The Waitara Surfcasters & Anglers
Club, The Marine Reserve Protection Society and others.