Te Ra o te Raukura family festival is an annual event hosted by iwi radio station, AtiAwa Toa FM. It was first staged twenty-one years ago at Waiwhetu Marae, Lower Hutt. As it grew it shifted to the nearby Te Whiti Park.
Every year Star Olsen sets up his stall at Te Ra o te Raukura, the thing is, he actually doesn't sell anything. His stall is his trusty van and he spends time soaking up the music and atmosphere.
Olsen - who is one of the key organisers of the event - arrived in Lower Hutt during the early 1960s as part of the urban drift. The two-day festival was first thought of as a way to bring newly arrived whanau together.
Today, thousands head to the festival where music echoes across Te Whiti Park, food stalls are plentiful and carnival rides cater for the young children.
Justine Murray is there and talks to a few of the artists and stallholders, asks some of the spectators what Waitangi Day means to them, and finds out more from Te Ra o te Raukura organiser Star Olsen.
