Collaborative celebrations to mark Paihia’s bicentenary

Collaboration is the key to bicentenary celebrations that will mark the arrival of the first Europeans settlers in Paihia. A series of events in April have been designed by Paihia200, a group which includes mana whenua, Te Tii Marae, Focus Paihia and the Williams family whose descendants came to establish the Paihia Mission Station 200 years ago.

The event programme includes a festival on the Paihia Village Green, a re-enactment of Henry and Marianne Williams arriving ashore, an interactive history trail and exhibitions - all of which seek to explore bi-culturalism, promote understanding, and to tell local stories.

A major event on the bicentenary calendar will be the Paihia200 Festival on the village green, Friday 14 April from noon. People are invited to bring a picnic blanket and enjoy free family entertainment including kapa haka, games, storytelling and music. From 2pm, all eyes will turn to Tii Bay where Williams family descendants will re-enact the arrival of their forebears on a tall ship. They will be met by Waka Taua before coming ashore on the Paihia waterfront. The dramatisation is a collaboration between Ngāti Rahiri, Ngāti Kawa, Ngāpuhi and the Williams whānau.

The festival will also officially launch Ātea Nuku Timewalk Paihia, an interactive walk through a dozen sites. Visitors can use their smart phones to read QR codes that access video, animations and augmented reality versions of local legacy stories, starting from Paihia Mission Village through to Te Tii Marae at Waitangi.

Exhibitions are also being held at Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi (Waitangi Treaty Grounds) and at Williams House Upstairs Museum. This building was occupied by the Williams family until 1993 and is home to the Paihia Library. A stone shed on the property is the oldest surviving building in Paihia.

Other events marking the 200-year anniversary include a Williams family reunion and, later in the month, a sunset Anzac Day ceremony at Waitangi Treaty Grounds. In July, a series of events will also be held for the Matariki Pēwhairangi Bay of Islands Festival.

For more information about the bicentenary celebrations go to Paihia200