Auckland Anniversary Day in New Zealand Date in the current year: January 27, 2025

Captain William Hobson was an officer in the British Royal Navy who led an expedition to New Zealand in 1837 and submitted a report proposing the establishment of a British colony there. In the summer of 1839, he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of New Zealand (under the Governor of New South Wales) and sailed from England aboard HMS Herald with a small group of officials.

Hobson arrived in the Bay of Islands on January 29, 1840. Upon his arrival, he almost immediately drafted the Treaty of Waitangi, which was signed by Hobson on behalf of the British Crown and by Māori chiefs from the North Island on February 6, 1840. The treaty provided a legal basis for British settlers in New Zealand while recognizing Māori land rights and sovereignty.

Soon after the treaty was signed, the Ngāti Whātua Māori iwi (tribe) gifted some of its lands to Hobson for the new capital, which he named Auckland in honor of George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland. Auckland was officially incorporated on September 18, 1840 and became the capital of New Zealand the following year.

The Auckland Province, along with the rest New Zealand’s provinces, was created in 1853 by the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852. It covered about half of the North Island, with its southern boundary roughly along the 39th parallel. The Auckland Province was the largest of the six provinces, both in area and population, and was home to an estimated 70% of the Māori population. However, the provincial system was abolished in 1876.

Although the provincial system was short-lived, provincial anniversaries are still celebrated in each historic province of New Zealand to commemorate their founding days or landing days of the first colonists. Most provinces celebrate their provincial anniversaries on the Monday closest to the actual day to create a long weekend, so Auckland Anniversary Day is celebrated on the Monday closest to January 29.

The modern area where Auckland Anniversary Day is celebrated includes the Northland (where it is called Northland Day), Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisbourne/East Coast regions, as well as parts of the Hawke’s Bay and Manawatū-Whanganui regions north of the 39th parallel.

The main event taking place on Auckland Anniversary Day is the Auckland Anniversary Regatta. It was first held on September 18, 1840 to celebrate the founding of Auckland as a city. Sometime in the 1840s it was moved to January 29, and in 1850 it was officially recognized as the central event of Auckland Anniversary Day. The Auckland Anniversary Regatta is the oldest sporting event in New Zealand and one of the world’s largest single-day regattas.

Other festive events held on Auckland Anniversary Day include parades, open-air concerts, street performances, cultural festivals, outdoor films screenings, beach parties, fireworks, light displays, and more.