Katikati Trio Among Stars of Free Waitangi Day Festival

Three Katikati rangatahi are looking forward to performing at Te Rāo Waitangi Whānau Festival — the town's second Waitangi Day family event — at the Haiku Reserve on 6 February from 11am to 3pm. The free, inclusive occasion is organised by the Western Bay Museum and aims to celebrate Aotearoa New Zealand while acknowledging the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in a positive and welcoming atmosphere.

Local band Katikati Trio — made up of Tia-Maraea Brown (18), Manase Uilou (17), and Inyamoka Toker (18) — return after earning high praise at the 2025 inaugural festival. The trio bring diverse backgrounds: Brown whakapapas to Ngāi Te Rangiiwi, Ngāi Tamawhariua and affiliated marae; Uilou is of Pacific Islands heritage; and Toker originally hails from Namibia. Together they play upbeat covers drawn from each member's personal musical influences. "It's not too heavy," said Toker. "This lets people come to their own realisation as to why they're there."

Headlining alongside the trio is King Cool, a covers trio from the Waikato. Cultural performances will include Katikati College's kapa haka group Te Kapa o Uretaraki Wharei, a Cook Islands group from Tauranga, and Katikati's Indian cultural group. The day opens with a mihi from kuia and kaumātua of Ngāi Tamawhariua's Te Rereatukahia Marae, and closes with a combined kapa haka performance from students aged five to twelve drawn from several local kura.

Interactive craft workshops — poi making, harakeke weaving, and Pasifika lei and crown crafting — will run throughout the day. Museum manager Paula Gaelic said the craft tent has been doubled in size after last year's space was overwhelmed by demand. Updates are available by following 'Western Bay Museum' on Facebook.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).