Auckland Anniversary Day

Auckland Anniversary Day is a public holiday observed in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand, being the area's provincial anniversary day.

It is observed throughout the historic Auckland Province, even though the provinces of New Zealand were abolished in 1876. The modern area of observation includes all of Auckland, the Northland (where it is known instead as Northland Day), Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne Regions, as well as some parts of the Manawatu-Wanganui and Hawke's Bay regions north of the 39th parallel.

The holiday usually falls on the Monday closest to 29 January, the anniversary of the arrival of William Hobson, later the first Governor of New Zealand, in the Bay of Islands in 1840.^[1]

Auckland Anniversary Day was established by Governor Hobson's direction, over Willoughby Shortland's signature, in 1842. The New Zealand Government Gazette of 26 January 1842 (Volume 2, 4th Edition) carried a notice stating,

Saturday, the 29th instant, being the SECOND ANNIVERSARY of the establishment of the Colony, His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to direct that day to be held a GENERAL HOLIDAY, on which occasion the Public Offices will be closed.

Events

The Auckland Anniversary Regatta, the largest single-day regatta in the world,^[2] takes place on this long weekend holiday.

Since 2011, Auckland Anniversary Day has been the first day that state and state integrated schools outside of the former Auckland Province can open for the year (the last day being 7 February). However, as schools are not permitted to open on public holidays, schools in the former Auckland Province cannot open until the day after.^[3][4]

References