Taranaki Anniversary Day in New Zealand Date in the current year: March 10, 2025

The Taranaki Province, originally named New Plymouth Province, was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of the provincial system in 1876. Its history can be traced back to the early 1820s when the Māori iwi (tribes) living in the region came into contact with European whalers and traders. The first trading post on the site of today’s New Plymouth was established by Dicky Barrett in 1828.

In 1839 Barrett, who spoke some Māori and was married to the daughter of a local chief, helped representatives of the New Zealand Company negotiate the purchase of land from his wife’s iwi. The formal deed of sale was signed on February 15, 1840, less than ten days after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

New Plymouth was founded by the Plymouth Company, a subsidiary of the New Zealand Company, which was established to attract settlers from England’s West Country. The first settlers arrived aboard the William Bryan, which sailed from Plymouth on November 18, 1840 and anchored off the coast on March 31, 1841. It carried 21 married couples, 22 single adults, and 70 children.

New Plymouth Province was established by the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852. It was one of the six original provinces of New Zealand, along with Auckland, Canterbury, Nelson, Otago, and Wellington. In 1859 it was renamed the Taranaki Province in honor of a large mountain in the area, which, in turn, was named after Rua Taranaki, the first ancestor of the Taranaki iwi.

In 1860-1861, English settlers supported by British Army regiments fought the Māori in the First Taranaki War, sparked by long-standing territorial disputes over land ownership and settlement in the area. The war ended inconclusively with an uneasy truce. The Taranaki Province and the rest of New Zealand’s provinces were abolished by the Abolition of Provinces Act 1875, which came into effect on November 1, 1876.

Although the provincial system was short-lived, New Zealand still celebrates provincial anniversaries in addition to national holiday. They commemorate the founding or landing of the first colonists in the colonial provinces. These anniversaries are observed as public holidays only within their respective historic provinces.

Their dates may vary based on local custom, convenience, or alignment with seasonal events and other holidays. For example, Taranaki Anniversary Day is celebrated on the second Monday in March instead of March 31 (the actual anniversary of the arrival of the first settlers) so as not to coincide with Easter.

Taranaki Anniversary Day celebrates the unique history, culture and heritage of the Taranaki region. It is marked by parades, cultural performances, concerts and other festive events and activities. It is a public holiday in the region, so schools, government offices and many businesses are closed for the day.