``The Waitangi Day celebrations at Holroyd Gardens were so successful, people even stayed through the periods of pouring rain and the entertainment was fantastic,'' Holroyd mayor John Perry said.

Holroyd's Waitangi Day, which celebrates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in the Bay of Islands on February6, 1840, has been held in Holroyd City Gardens Park for the past four years.

But the organisers of the festival insisted it was not only for the benefit of the Maori people but also gave the wider community a chance to experience Maori culture.

The traditional Maori welcome, or Powhiri, included an acknowledgement of the indigenous people of Australia. This was followed by the Haka war dance, made famous by the All Blacks, New Zealand's Rugby team.