NZ Waitangi Day 2026 links to Norfolk Island

In New Zealand 6 February 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed between the British Crown and various North Island Chiefs of the Māori Tribes. Every year in New Zealand the 6 February is a public holiday, and this year the 186^th anniversary is on a Friday. Now that we live on Norfolk Island, I thought I would check out the links between Norfolk Island and New Zealand.

Norfolk Island has many layers of history, the Polynesian link goes back approximately 600 to 800 years ago and there are interesting artifacts discovered in the 1990s archaeologist digs in the dunes and pines behind Emily Bay. Items from these archaeological finds are an important link to the early settlement history of Norfolk Island.

During the first British Colonial Settlement two Māori men, Tuki and Whoru, were kidnapped during the first settlement so they could teach the convicts how to process the local flax plant, which would then be made into cloth and sails. Two putu were gifted to Commandant Philip Gidley King when he returned Tuki and Whoru home to New Zealand.

Captain James Cook discovered Norfolk Island, and claimed it for England, on 10 October 1774 on his second South Pacific voyage sailing in the Resolution. During this voyage Captain James Cook also visited New Zealand, which is a British colonial link between Norfolk Island and New Zealand.

During World War II in the 1940s, the New Zealand troops were stationed here on Norfolk Island to protect the radar station built at Mt Bates. The walk up through the Norfolk Island National Park still shows areas where the troops were stationed, and the remains of the radar is still at the summit. The link with the Returned & Services League of Australia, RSL, still remains strong and the Norfolk Island Memorial Branch of the RSL always welcomes New Zealand RSA members to the rooms and there is a large collection of memorabilia in the RSL Museum and interesting stories to be told.

Over the years there has been wonderful displays at the Norfolk Island Airport, photos on display show the airport runway being constructed and this also leads to my next link to New Zealand, the airway link to the many visitors from New Zealand who have enjoyed their holidays here on Norfolk Island for many years. I remember my Aunties enjoying their holidays on Norfolk Island in the 1970s.

Since April 2025 there has been no direct commercial flights from Norfolk Island to Auckland New Zealand. The flight services for Norfolk Island in recent years have been with Air Chathams and their crew, these were weekly scheduled flights during the summer months between Auckland and Norfolk Island. These flights ended at the end of April 2025, but Air Chathams will be available for charter flights from New Zealand.

There have been some special visitors from New Zealand since I moved here in 2011. Valerie Adams “Gold Medallist and World Champion Shot-put athlete” has visited, and I enjoyed the visit of the Haunui Waka crew in 2014 and 2018. I have a large New Zealand flag and have started getting visitors to sign the flag. I also enjoyed meeting Sam Neill when he visited in 2017 when making a FOXTEL documentary about Captain James Cook travels, the series was named “Uncharted with Sam Neill”. He told me the South Pacific voyages of Captain James Cook were the inspiration for the documentary.

Many New Zealand Musicians join the local Norfolk Island events, pre-covid, visitors and locals enjoyed the Country Music week, and the Jazz week and we had fun nights listening to their music.

When I first moved to Norfolk Island, I was told that approximately a third of the population here on Norfolk Island were Kiwis, New Zealanders or had close family links. When chatting with locals I am often told that they were born in New Zealand and moved here when they were young, and some have spent time in New Zealand working or attending schools.

Back in 2015 I called Norfolk Island Immigration and learnt the system did not show how many New Zealanders have “dual citizenship” with Australia. Ten years ago, the population was 1760 people living here on Norfolk Island in January 2015. The 2021 Australian Census showed there was an increase of 428 people living on Norfolk Island, the total people counted, 2188 were recorded. Data collected showed that 322 people, 14.7% of the Norfolk Island population were born in New Zealand. Comparing these statistics to Australia only 2.1% of the population were born in New Zealand.

The Australian Census is held every five years, and this year will be held on 11 August 2026 which also includes Norfolk Island. If you would like to read more info regarding the Norfolk Island 2021 Australian census, check out this link.

https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/SAL90004

Note: I also read that people on Norfolk Island stated that:

15.1% of Fathers and 17.4% of Mothers were born in New Zealand.

When we have trips home to New Zealand we enjoy catching up with family and friends. Waitangi Day is a day when I think of home, our family, friends and loved ones and it is always fun to find Kiwi icon items to photograph when we visit. It is always special to get back and see our family and friends and special places we always visited, but it is also great to step off the plane on the Norfolk Island tarmac and say, “We are Home”.

Hope you enjoy Waitangi Day everyone and “Go the All Blacks”!

Betty Matthews

30 January 2026