Nelson Anniversary Day in New Zealand Date in the current year: February 3, 2025

The first European to set foot in the Nelson region was Captain James Cook in January 1770. He and his crew spent several weeks there repairing their ship and would return to Ship Cove (Meretoto) on subsequent voyages to New Zealand. The region was also explored by the French in the early 19th century.

The New Zealand Company, founded in Britain in 1837, began colonizing New Zealand in 1840 upon receiving its royal charter. After establishing a settlement in Wellington, they sent three ships to establish a new settlement called Nelson on the upper South Island. The first ship carrying immigrants arrived in Nelson in November 1841, but it is the arrival of the Fifeshire on February 1, 1842 that is celebrated as Nelson Anniversary Day. Soon after, three more ships arrived – the Mary Anne, the Lord Auckland and the Lloyds.

Nelson Province was established under the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, along with five other original provinces: Auckland, Canterbury, New Plymouth, Otago and Wellington. It covered all of the upper South Island. In 1858, Nelson was proclaimed a city and episcopal see, becoming the second city in New Zealand, after Christchurch, to be proclaimed under letters patent by Queen Victoria. It had a population of about 5,000 at the time.

In November 1859 almost all settlers of the Wairau Valley signed a petition to secede from Nelson Province. The reason for the split was that most of the provincial revenue came from land sales in the Marlborough region, but most of these funds were used to benefit the Nelson region. In addition, large landowners in the Marlborough region feared the growing influence of urban residents and small farmers in the Provincial Council. Marlborough Province split from Nelson Province on November 4, 1859.

New Zealand’s provincial system was abolished by the Abolition of Provinces Act 1875. All provinces, including Nelson Province, formally ceased to exist on January 1, 1877 and were replaced by a number of newly formed counties and boroughs.

Although the provincial system was short-lived, each of New Zealand’s historic provinces has a provincial anniversary day commemorating the landing of the first colonists or the establishment of the first settlement in the province. The celebration is usually held on the Monday closest to the actual anniversary to create a long weekend.

For example, Nelson Anniversary Day is celebrated on the Monday closest to February 1. The modern area of observance includes the city of Nelson, Tasman District, Buller District and parts of North Canterbury. The holiday is marked by various festive events and activities throughout the historic Nelson Province. In the past, the anniversary celebrations included a sailing regatta. Today, however, the annual Nelson Regatta is usually held a little earlier, in late January.