Waitangi Day in New Zealand is marked by controversy as Māori leaders condemn a proposed bill to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi, sparking protests and political tensions.

It’s often a day marked by spirited politics and at times boisterous protest. But Thursday’s anniversary of New Zealand’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, passed in muted fashion with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon absent from the main commemorations,

Politicians are being welcomed at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds on Wednesday. The Parliamentary pōwhiri is a chance each year for politicians to have their say, and for the hau kāinga - home people - and te ao Māori, to respond.

New Zealand on Thursday marked the anniversary of its founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi. The day came with quiet protests of government officials by some Māori leaders amid a national period of fractured race relations and the absence of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon from a gathering of politicians and Māori tribes which the country's leader traditionally attends.

Thousands gathered across New Zealand on Thursday to celebrate the signing of the country’s founding document and some called for an end to government policies that critics say erode the rights promised to the Indigenous Maori population.

Thousands gathered across New Zealand yesterday to celebrate the signing of the country’s founding document and some called for an end to government policies that critics say erode the rights promised to the indigenous Maori population.