This year is the third year we will be celebrating Matariki and it got us curious as to the historical roots of our other public holidays.

‍Matariki (Date varies but commonly close to the Winter equinox)
‍Matariki marks the Māori New Year, celebrated with the rising of the Pleiades/Seven Sisters/Subaru star cluster. It is traditionally time for reflection, remembrance, and planning for the future, however different iwi calculate and celebrate it in their own way.If you’re interest in the traditions and modern recognition of the festival here is a summary.

‍The other New Year’s Day (January 1st)This New Year’s Day celebrates the beginning of the European calendar year, with origins rooted all the way back in the Roman Republic, so buckle in.

In 153 BC, for the first time ever, Roman consuls began their year in office on January 1st. About 100 years later, under Julius Caesar, the Julian calendar became the civil calendar of the Roman Empire, establishing January 1st (January coming from Janus, the god of beginnings and ends, transitions, doorways, and time) as the new date of the new year.

We now use the Gregorian calendar, a reworked version of the Julian calendar with one key difference. It adjusts the method for adding leap years to better align with the exact number of days it takes for the Earth to orbit the sun (365.2422 days). The reason for the change was to better align the calendar with the equinox so the dates of Easter could be more accurately calculated.

An interesting fact as we approach the Olympics: Although Roman Catholic churches and Western governments adopted the Gregorian calendar, many Eastern Orthodox Churches and associated governments (including the Russian Empire) continued to use the Julian calendar until fairly recently. Some claim that the Russian shooting team, using the Julian calendar, arrived late for the 1908 Olympics because there is a 13-day difference between the two.

‍The Day After New Year’s Day (January 2nd)
‍This holiday allows an extended break for New Zealanders, recognising the importance of rest and relaxation after the New Year's celebrations (ie a chance to recover from hangovers). It’s particularly significant as the day many of the resolutions made the day before, are broken.

‍Waitangi Day (February 6th)
‍Waitangi Day commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 between the British Crown and various Māori chiefs. This was the first signing, but not the only one. Hobson sent at least nine copies of the Treaty around the country to garner signatures. The one sent to Waikate and Manukau, for example, was signed over March and April.

The Treaty signing was first officially commemorated at Waitangi in 1934. Two years earlier the Governor General, Lord Bledisloe of trans-Tasman Rugby Cup fame, had gifted the Treaty House and grounds to New Zealand. 64 years ago the Waitangi Day Act was passed, recognising it as the National Day but it wasn’t until 14 years later that it became a holiday. So, this year, we have celebrated the 50th anniversary of Waitangi Day as a public holiday.

Interesting fact – Queen Victoria Queen Victoria was 4 months shy of her 21st birthday when the Treaty was signed in her name. She died in 1901 (aged 81) having been monarch for 63 years. She married Prince Albert 4 days after the signing of the Treaty.

‍Good Friday (Date varies)
‍Easter is the most important festival in the Christian Calendar. Good Friday is a Christian holiday observing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is part of the Easter weekend, which is significant for Christians worldwide. In New Zealand there are restrictions on shopping, reflecting its religious origins. With the continued secularisation of society, Easter has lost much of its religious significance although you see traces of it in hot-cross buns (probably flogged from earlier pagan festivals) and Easter eggs signifying new life.

Given that an increasing number of NZers are identifying Jedi as their religion it may only be a matter of time before May 4th becomes a public holiday. In the 2018 Census, 20,409 people selected Jedi as their religion.

‍Easter Monday (Date varies but more often than not it comes two days after Good Friday)
‍Easter Monday follows Easter Sunday, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a continuation of the Easter festivities.

‍ANZAC Day (April 25)
‍ANZAC Day honours the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers who fought in the Gallipoli Campaign during World War I. 25th of April was the day the troops landed on the peninsula. Observed since 1916, the day is marked by dawn services, parades, and remembrances across the country, paying tribute to all New Zealanders who served and died in wars.

The complexity of European empires and international alliance prior to ‘The Great War’ is reflected in the fact that because a Serb killed an Austrian, we had NZers fighting the Ottomans in Turkey for the British alongside Indians, French and Australians.

‍King’s Birthday (First Monday in June)
‍This celebrates the official birthday of the reigning monarch of New Zealand. The King’s actual birthday is in November, the June date was chosen for better weather conditions in Great Britain with no consideration given to what the weather is like in the empire’s many colonies. We might excuse this given it was George II who started the tradition in 1748. So before Aotearoa was even a glimmer in the colonisers’ eyes.

Like Charles III, George’s was a November birthday and deciding the weather might be a bit iffy for an official celebratory parade, he tied his birthday in with the annual Trooping the Colour military parade, held in summer.

‍Labour Day (Fourth Monday in October)
‍Labour Day commemorates the eight-hour workday movement, championed by carpenter Samuel Parnell in 1840. It has been a public holiday since 1890, celebrating workers' rights and achievements. The day ends the long winter of discontent without a long weekend. This year it will stretch from the end of June (Matarik) to the end of October unless you live in South Canterbury (Anniversary Day 23 September) or Hawkes Bay (Anniversary Day the Friday of Labour Weekend – which doesn’t break the four months by very much!)

‍Christmas Day (December 25)
‍We’re back to our Christian roots with the next two. Christmas Day celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Most of us are familiar with nativity story but may not realise it only describes two of the four accounts of Jesus’ life in the New Testament. The two accounts differ. The Gospel of Luke has shepherds and the manger while Matthew has Magi or the wise men coming to a house. There is no mention of the number of wise men although we assume three because of the number of gifts mentioned. Initially there were only two gifts – gold and frankincense until someone said, “But wait. There’s myrrh.” We apologise for that terrible joke.

‍Boxing Day (December 26)
‍Boxing Day, traditionally a day for giving to the less fortunate, follows Christmas. In New Zealand, it is a day for relaxation, shopping sales, and now, following the Aussie tradition – a cricket match which can be any one of the three formats. The tradition dates back to 1992 (an ODI which we lost against Pakistan) or 1998 a test against India at the Basin. We know readers of this letter are cricketing purists so we’ll go with 1998. Also we won that by 4 wickets. Like January 2nd the holiday is a chance to recover from hangovers.

‍Regional Anniversary Days
‍New Zealand also observes regional anniversary days to celebrate the founding or significant events of various provinces. Each region has its own specific date, reflecting its unique history and heritage. Examples include Auckland Anniversary Day (late January) and Canterbury Anniversary Day (mid-November).So there is a brief, yet hopefully interesting, history of Aotearoa New Zealand’s public holidays. If you think we have too few or too many paid holidays have a look at this infographic for a global comparison.

So there is a brief, yet hopefully interesting, history of Aotearoa New Zealand’s public holidays. If you think we have too few or too many paid holidays have a look at this infographic for a global comparison.