Waitangi Day 2020 commemorations
07.02.2020
Polish Ambassador Zbigniew Gniatkowski participated in the official commemorations of Waitangi Day. This year marks the 180th anniversary of the signing of Waitangi Treaty by the British Crown and Maori tribe, which is seen as the founding document of New Zealand.
The celebrations, which took place on February 4-6, were also an opportunity for informal talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Government Ministers also participated in the Waitangi events.
On February 5, the Museum of the 28th Maori Battalion was opened in Waitangi, and the Beat the Retreat ceremony was dedicated to the contribution of Maori soldiers to the armed effort of the New Zealand army in the 20th century. The Maori Battalion fought at the Battle of Monte Cassino, among others, next to the Polish 2nd Corps soldiers under the command of General Władysław Anders. During the ceremony, Ambassador Gniatkowski met with the Monte Cassino veteran Robert Gillies.
More than 50 heads of diplomatic missions from Wellington, Canberra, and as far as Tokyo took part in this year's Waitangi Day programme prepared by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
