Wellington Anniversary Day in New Zealand Date in the current year: January 20, 2025

The Wellington Province used to occupy most of the southern half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was named by the first settlers after the city of Wellington, which, in turn, was named after Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington.

The systematic colonization of New Zealand by the United Kingdom began in the first half of the 19th century with the establishment of the New Zealand Company in 1825. The first steps towards European settlement in New Zealand began in 1839 when Colonel William Wakefield arrived at Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Port Nicholson / Wellington Harbour) to purchase land from Māori on behalf of the New Zealand Company.

Several ships carrying settlers were sent to New Zealand in the fall of 1839. The first to arrive in what is now Wellington was the Aurora on January 22, 1840. It carried 148 settlers and 21 crew. The anniversary of its arrival is now celebrated as Wellington Anniversary Day. The establishment of Wellington preceded the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which established a formal agreement between the British Crown and various Māori chiefs.

The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 divided the colony of New Zealand into six provinces: Auckland, Canterbury, Nelson, New Plymouth, Otago and Wellington. The Wellington Province covered almost the entire southern half of the North Island. It lost about one-third of its area in 1858 following the formation of the Hawke’s Bay Province. In 1865, Wellington replaced Auckland as the capital of New Zealand.

The provinces of New Zealand were abolished by the Abolition of Provinces Act 1875 and replaced by 63 counties created from the rural parts of the former provinces. These counties existed for more than two centuries, but the 1989 local government reform abolished them and divided New Zealand into 13 regional authorities and one unitary authority (Gisborne District Council). One of the new regions was the Wellington Region (Greater Wellington), which covers the southernmost part of the former Wellington Province.

Wellington Anniversary Day is one of the provincial anniversaries established by the Holidays Act 1981. It is a public holiday within the old boundaries of the Wellington Province. The holiday is marked by a variety of festive events and activities such as parades, street fairs, cultural festivals, beach and outdoor activities, sporting events and more. Some people do not participate in the events, but still take advantage of the long weekend to spend time with their family and friends.

It is worth mentioning that some people criticize provincial anniversaries because they celebrate the arrival of settlers from Europe and are based on outdated provincial boundaries that have not existed for over two centuries, making them remnants of New Zealand’s colonial past.