(Minghui.org) Practitioners participated in the annual Waitangi Day celebration in the Bay of Islands from February 5 to 6, 2026. They set up a booth, demonstrated the exercises, and introduced Falun Dafa to festival visitors.
Waitangi Day is an important national commemoration held to mark the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 between the Māori people and the British Crown. This treaty established the foundation of New Zealand as a nation and defined the rights, responsibilities, and cooperative relationship between the two parties. Waitangi Day is a public holiday in New Zealand, and every year, thousands of people from all over the country gather at the place where the treaty was signed to celebrate and reflect on the nation’s history.
The event featured spectacular stage performances and more than 150 market stalls offering art, handicrafts, clothing, and a wide variety of foods. Amid the lively festival atmosphere, the peaceful Falun Dafa booth stood out. A steady stream of visitors stopped by to learn the exercises and about Falun Dafa. Many said that, even though they did the exercises only briefly, they felt a renewed sense of inner balance and kindness.
The Falun Dafa booth at the Waitangi Day celebration in the Bay of Islands
Many people learned the Falun Dafa exercises.
Practitioners telling people about Falun Dafa
Maori Lawyer Likes Falun Dafa
Maori lawyer Maui Solomon is interested in learning Falun Dafa.
Maui Solomon, a lawyer from Chatham Island, stopped at the Falun Dafa booth. He said that he’s started looking into meditation and wanted to rediscover himself and establish a more harmonious relationship with the world through cultivation.
Having recently learned about Falun Dafa on the internet, he said the values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance transcend personal views and manifest universal truth and that people today need sincerity and awareness, instead of being led by external conflicts, desires, and ego. He shared his experience of supporting peaceful traditions and pointed out that true power comes from inner peace and compassion.
Maui commended the practitioners for their efforts to expose the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution. He said choosing peace, denying violence, and listening to one’s conscience were an important direction for humanity, now and in the future.
Maori language teacher Jamal said he was drawn to the booth by the peaceful atmosphere. He said that experiencing such tranquil energy in a public space was quite rare.
Reflecting on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, Jamal said that honesty allows for peace of mind, freeing one from burdens, while kindness and empathy help build a society based on mutual trust. Tolerance and forgiveness are not easy, he noted, but they are a crucial step toward inner peace. If more people practice these values, in his opinion, it would have a positive impact on the world.
Elementary School Teacher: Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Is Consistent With Maori Values
Karla Clarke said meditation benefits children’s growth.
Karla Clarke, an elementary school teacher, said that she felt comfortable after learning the exercises. She said she paid attention to showing the children she teaches how to control their emotions and that meditation and breathing were important ways to help them have inner peace.
She said the whole view of health in the Maori culture was the connection between body, mind, spirit, people, the land, and ancestors, which are in line with Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. She said that being sincere, kind, and tolerant helps to reduce stress and keep fit.
Fire Emergency Responder Learns the Exercises
Judy Reed learns the five exercises.
Judy Reed, a Fire Emergency responder, learned all five exercises. She said that doing them made her feel calm. “It’s an experience that stems from meditation, as when the mind becomes calm, energy flows naturally within the body, and the body and consciousness become one.” She said that, while she was doing the exercises, she no longer felt pulled by external distractions and perceived an existence that transcended physical form.
Judy said that her thoughts became pure and focused while she did the exercises, and she experienced an unprecedented sense of peace. She said that, for her, the human body was merely a temporary vessel for life in this world, and that the true self originated from a higher level of consciousness, connected to the fundamental essence of the universe. She said with emotion, “In that moment, I truly felt that I hadn’t come here by chance, that everything seemed to be guided by a sense of purpose and compassion.”
She shared that she believed there were wisdom and power in the universe to create life and that Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are universal principles that transcend cultures, borders, and beliefs and are therefore important guides for humans to return inner purity.
She said this experience of learning Falun Gong made her aware that “My spiritual journey has only just begun. I realize that life is far vaster than what appears on the surface. This is a precious gift.”
Isabella
Isabella learned the exercises and said she felt energy flow in her body. She agreed with the idea that the mind and body influence each other, and she believes that, by adjusting one’s inner state, the body will also benefit. She said she hoped to study the teachings of Falun Dafa in the future.
Neil Tawpa said he liked the exercises.
Neil Tawpa, who said he paid attention to balance and focus as he aged, also did the exercises. He said they were simple and were suited to long-term practice.
He said that, while he did the exercises, he felt inner peace despite the noisy surroundings and that the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are meaningful.
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