Christmas in New Zealand is less about snow and sleigh bells and more about sun, sand and barbecues in the backyard. We've provided a range of stories that showcase some of the quirkier aspects of Kiwi Christmases past and present. You can also test yourself on our Kiwi Christmas quiz.
Labour Day - a history
Fighting for the eight-hour working day
Dominion status
From colony to dominion
The first Dominion Day
Mixed reactions
The first Dominion Day in 1907 was a holiday for public servants. All government offices closed to mark the occasion. An aluminium Dominion Day medal was struck for every school child in New Zealand.
The government wanted to make 26 September a public holiday, but employers wouldn’t play along. There was intercity bickering about the date as some people thought that an existing statutory holiday should be used rather than introducing another public holiday. Some Aucklanders wanted Auckland Anniversary Day (in January) made Dominion Day as the weather was bound to be better.
Demise of Dominion Day
A short-lived celebration
Dominion Day, 26 September, never really took hold in New Zealand. Wellington was one of the few places that kept up ceremonies after 1907.
In 1908 over 20,000 people went to the Wellington suburb of Newtown to watch a parade and see 5000 children form a living flag. Parliament Buildings were lit up as they had been the previous year.
What changed? - Dominion status
Dominion status: what changed?
What changed when dominion status began in 1907?
Just the name: New Zealand stopped being a colony and became a dominion. There was no tangible political or legal shift.
From this date, the premier was styled as prime minister, and the term ‘Members of Parliament’ replaced ‘Members of the House of Representatives’.
Dominion Day, 2007
A feature of the centenary celebrations of New Zealand's adoption of dominion status was the illumination of the Parliamentary Library. In 1907 Parliament Buildings had been illuminated with lights spelling out the words ‘Advance New Zealand’. For the centenary in 2007, the arches and roofline of the Library were illuminated on the evenings of 25 and 26 September. This was the first such illumination since 1937.
Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Dominion Day celebrations, 1908
This view of the 1908 Dominion Day celebrations at the Basin Reserve, Wellington, shows a crowd of people waving flags, rows of soldiers, and spectators in the foreground.
Dominion Day, held on 26 September, never became an established fixture in the New Zealand holiday calendar. Wellington was one of the few places that kept up ceremonies after 1907.
Alexander Turnbull Library,
Reference: 1/1-022915-G,
Further information and copies of this image may be obtained from the Library through its Timeframes website.
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa,must be obtained before any reuse of this image.
