From BBC News.

Thousands of people have attended events in Waitangi, in northern New Zealand, to celebrate the country’s national day amid a debate over the future of its founding document.

Waitangi Day marks the first signing of New Zealand’s Treaty of Waitangi or Te Tiriti o Waitangi in Māori between the British Crown and Māori chiefs in 1840.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon – who attended an event in the South Island – described the day as an opportunity to reflect on New Zealand’s past as it charts its future.

But this year’s events come at a time of increased tensions, as the government pursues policies considered by some to be anti-Māori.

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