Each year on February 6, New Zealand celebrates its national holiday. It is marked by the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on this day in 1840 when representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs signed what is New Zealand’s founding document. It is named after the place where it was signed in the Bay of Islands at the top of the North Island.

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage describes the Treaty as “a broad statement of principles on which the British and Māori made a political compact to found a nation state and build a government in New Zealand. The document has three articles. In the English version, Māori cede the sovereignty of New Zealand to Britain; Māori give the Crown an exclusive right to buy lands they wish to sell, and, in return, are guaranteed full rights of ownership of their lands, forests, fisheries and other possessions; and Māori are given the rights and privileges of British subjects.”

When the Treaty was translated there were some important differences between the Maori version and the English version. These differences in understanding have caused ongoing debates and numerous protests.

Although the whole country celebrates the day as a public holiday, for many New Zealanders, especially Maori, Waitangi Day is a day to reflect on the Treaty. There are various celebrations throughout the country but the most notable are held on the Treaty grounds at Waitangi.

Each year there is a festival and in 2012, in addition to many concerts and other community-based events, the Royal New Zealand Air Force aerobatic and precision flying team, the “Red Checkers,” will be putting on an acrobatic display.