It was a dark and cloudy day as visitors descended on Rangiriri today.
It has been said that the Battle of Rangiriri will never be forgotten, and descendants of those ancestors are present today, to commemorate the fight of their ancestors.
The Kīngitanga Movement was founded to unify those opposed to land sales and confiscations and to assert Māori authority over their lands.
The words of this haka, performed by Waikato-Tainui and tribes affiliated to the King Movement, reiterates the legislated theft, dispossession, murder and rape by the Crown seen 150 years ago.
The dawn ceremony was also held before the carved pillars depicting ancestors Te Wharepū, and Tīoriori, which were erected today.
Although nearly 20 years have passed since the Waikato-Tainui Treaty Settlement, today was of reconciliation and transformation for all.