A dawn service will be held on Tuesday 6 February at Mount Drury Reserve to commemorate the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The dawn service will start at 6.30am with a karakia by tangata whenua, followed by a community service, speeches and hymns.

Speakers will include local kaumatua, clergy from community church groups, civic leaders and rangatahi speakers from the TUIA Te Here Tangata leadership mentoring programme.

An open forum will give all participants the opportunity to share their thoughts on Waitangi Day and what it means to them today.

The Tauranga dawn service was originally initiated by Maori elders and members of the Tauranga Moana District Maori Council in the late 1970s, and continues to play a significant part in Tauranga's historical heritage.

The organising committee has received funding from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Tauranga City Council to support the service.

The ceremony will see some road closures in place on Tuesday, February 6 from 5am until 10am on Marine Parade from Grace Avenue to Pacific Avenue.

Parking will be available for mobility card holders, kaumatua and kuia and other dignitaries on Marine Parade, within the road closure area.

Access is the area via Pacific Avenue before 6.30am. The area will be locked from 6.30am until the end of the service at 8.30am.