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# Independent spirit
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/independent-spirit/
- Published: 2007-02-06T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:00:41.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Business, Pier, #archive-import

*A WORLD OF THEIR OWN*

SM BEACH In one of the largest gatherings of Kiwis outside their native New Zealand, hundreds of volunteers from the Polynesian Triangle on Monday hit the beach just north of the Santa Monica Pier to celebrate the country’s unofficial national holiday — Waitangi Day — by building a 100-yard long sand sculpture in the shape of a giant silver fern, the nation’s emblem.

Organizers of the event, including Air New Zealand, one of the country’s largest businesses in the U.S., said they wanted to create the fern to not only celebrate their version of America’s Independence Day, but also show Santa Monicans and the rest of the West that New Zealand is a tenacious nation in which people work together to overcome adversity.

Monday’s fete was equal parts public art project and publicity stunt, with the ultimate goal of educating the masses about the beauty of New Zealand, or as the native Maori call it, “Aotearoa,” which translates into “The land of the long white cloud.”

“We are here to help promote our businesses back home and encourage more exports and people to think globally, which is hard given that we are so isolated from the rest of the world,” said Simon Shattky, an organizer and sponsor of www.madefrom-newzealand.com, a Web site promoting the country’s merchants.

> “You’ve heard of six degrees of separation. Well in New Zealand, it’s more like one and a half.” — WE ARE HOPING THAT THIS WILL BE A LINK TO OUR BROTHERS ACROSS THE PACIFIC. WE HOPE THAT THIS CAN BE A BEACON TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.”

“The whole idea behind the fern is that it is our national emblem, so we felt it was the perfect symbol to use,” Shattky said. “But more important and reflective of the culture is the actual building of it. In New Zealand, since we are so isolated, we have to really rely on each other to get things done.

Waitangi Day, celebrated on Feb. 6, marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 that opened the door for New Zealand to become a colony of Great Britain.

Today, it is recognized as the founding point of New Zealand as a nation. Despite this, the treaty is often the subject of heated debate, with many Maori claiming the British have not kept up their part of the bargain. The Waitangi Tribunal is tasked with researching breaches of the treaty and suggesting redress.

In the end, there are many who see the treaty as a symbol, much like the fern, of unity between the native Maori and the Pakeha, or those of Anglo-European descent.

For Air New Zealand Vice President Roger Poulton and many of his countrymen, Waitangi Day is simply a chance to kick back with friends, drink some beer and have a barbecue, akin to the Fourth of July in the U.S.

“It is really a day for family and friends to come together and enjoy

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 6, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/020607.pdf?ref=smdp.com)