Christmas in New Zealand is less about snow and sleigh bells and more about sun, sand and barbecues in the backyard. During December we delve into the Kiwi Christmas experience –
from Abel Tasman’s first New Zealand Christmas in 1642 to the declining
reign of the Queen’s message in our living rooms.
Celebrated on the fourth Monday in October, Labour Day commemorates the struggle for an eight-hour working day. The first Labour Day in New Zealand was celebrated on 28 October 1890, when several thousand trade union members and supporters attended parades in the main centres.
An outline of some of the key events relating to the war at sea and merchant shipping in the Second World War, with a particular focus on New Zealand involvement.
New Zealanders celebrated British victories in the South African War with gusto. Days such as Pretoria Day, 7 June 1900, when Pretoria was taken from the Boers, became occasions of great festivity throughout the country.