Manaaki Matters Report: How Aotearoa’s biggest event is embedding hauora at scale

Each year, tens of thousands gather at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. What happens there shapes more than a national commemoration, it demonstrates how large-scale events can actively support hauora.

Over the past three years, the Waitangi National Trust and Healthy Families Far North have partnered to progressively embed the Healthy Environments Approach into the design and delivery of Waitangi Day, influencing vendor processes, site layout, infrastructure, and operational decisions.

From observation to embedded practice, the Manaaki Matters report captures the evolution of this work. Drawing on insights from whānau, vendors and operational teams, it shows how existing decision-making levers can be used differently to create healthier defaults at scale.

For those shaping events, funding settings or policy environments across Te Tai Tokerau, this report provides an example of prevention in action and how small shifts can create big impact for hauora.

Read: The Manaaki Matters Report – Sustaining people and taiao: Introducing a Healthy Environments Approach (HEA) at Waitangi Treaty Grounds.