Holiday Details
- Holiday Name
- Nelson Anniversary Day
- Country
- New Zealand
- Date
- February 2, 2026
- Day of Week
- Monday
- Status
- 30 days away
- About this Holiday
- Nelson Anniversary Day is a local holiday in New Zealand
Nelson Anniversary Day
New Zealand • February 2, 2026 • Monday
30
Days
07
Hours
25
Mins
37
Secs
until Nelson Anniversary Day
Pacific/Auckland timezone
About Nelson Anniversary Day
Also known as: Nelson Anniversary Day
Te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Whakatū: He Aratohu Matawhānui mo te rā whakanui o Nelson
Ko te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Whakatū (Nelson Anniversary Day) tētahi rā whakahirahira i te topito o te Te Ihu o Te Waka a Māui. He wā tēnei e tūhonohono ai te hapori ki ō rātou whakapapa, ki te hītori o te rohe, me te āhua o te noho ki tēnei wāhi āhua rereke o Aotearoa. Ehara noa tēnei i te rā whakatā noa iho; he tohu tēnei mo te pakari o te iwi, te huringa o te wā, me te whakakotahitanga o te hunga e noho ana i raro i te maru o te maunga o Richmond me te takutai moana o Te Tai-o-Aorere.
I tēnei rā, ka whakatā te iwi mai i a rātou mahi o ia rā ki te whakanui i te taenga mai o te kaipuke tuatahi o te Kamupene o Niu Tīreni, te Fifeshire, ki te kokoru o Whakatū i te tau 1842. He rā tēnei e kī ana i te maumahara ki te hunga i whakapau kaha ki te hanga i te tāone, i te iwi hoki, i roto i te tūmanako mo te rā āpōpō. Ahakoa ko te aronga nui kei runga i te taenga mai o te hunga whai i te rau tau tekau mā iwa, he wā hoki tēnei e whakaaro ai te iwi ki te hītori roa o te Māori i tēnei takiwā, ko ‘Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Maui’ te ingoa tuku iho, he rohe i nohoia e ngā iwi maha mō ngā rau tau i mua i te taenga mai o te Pākehā.
He aha te mea i rerekē ai tēnei rā i ētahi atu rā whakatā? Ko te wairua o te rohe te mea matua. I te mea kei te pokapū o te raumati te rā nei, ka kī te hau i te kakara o te moana, te mahana o te rā, me te harakoa o ngā whānau e huihui ana. He wā e kitea ai te kaha o te rohe o Nelson me Marlborough ki te manaaki i te tangata, me te ngākau titikaha o te iwi ki tō rātou whenua.
Āhea te Rā Whakamaharatanga i te tau 2026?
Ko te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Whakatū ka whakanuia i te:
Te Rā: Monday Te Rā o te Marama: February 2, 2026 Te Roa e toe ana: E 30 ngā rā e toe ana i mua i te whakanui.
He rā taurangi tēnei rā whakatā. E ai ki te ture, ka whakanuia te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Whakatū i te Mane e tata ana ki te rā 1 o Pepuere. Ko tēnei tikanga he mea whakarite i raro i te Holidays Act 1981 o Aotearoa, kia hāngai tonu te rā whakatā ki te mutunga wiki, kia roa ai te wā whakatā mō te iwi (long weekend). I te tau 2026, ka tū tēnei rā i te rā tuarua o Pepuere, e hāngai pū ana ki te hītori o te taenga mai o te kaipuke Fifeshire i te tau 1842.
Te Hītori me te Takenga mai o te Rā
Ko te hītori o te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Whakatū he kōrero mō te maia, te mate, me te tūmanako. Ko Nelson te whakataunga tuarua o te hunga whai i Aotearoa i raro i te Kamupene o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Company), whai muri i te tīmatanga o te whakataunga ki Poneke (Wellington).
Te Haerenga o te Fifeshire
I te 17 o Hepetema, 1841, ka rere te kaipuke Fifeshire mai i Rānana, Ingarangi. He 170 ngā pāhihi i runga, he hunga i maunu mai i ō rātou kāinga i Ingarangi ki te rapu i te pai me te whai rawa i tēnei whenua hou i te pito o te ao. Heoi, ehara i te haerenga ngāwari. I roto i te whā me te hāwhe marama i runga i te moana, 17 ngā tāngata i mate i te kirika (fever). Heoi anō, i waenga i te pouri, he hari hoki—tokorima ngā pēpi i whānau mai i te wā o te haerenga.I te rā 1 o Pepuere, 1842, ka uru te
Fifeshire ki te whanga o Nelson. Heoi, he rerekē te rā whakamutunga o tēnei kaipuke. Whai muri tonu i te taenga mai o ngā pāhihi, i te wā e ngana ana te kaipuke ki te puta anō ki te moana, ka tuki te kaipuke ki tētahi toka (reef) i te kūaha o te whanga, ā, ka pakaru i reira. Koia tēnei te haerenga whakamutunga o te Fifeshire, engari ko te tīmatanga tēnei o te tāone o Nelson.Te Whenua i Mua i te Pākehā
Ahakoa ko te rā nei e whakanui ana i te taenga mai o te Pākehā, he mea nui kia mahara ko te takiwā o Te Tau Ihu he wāhi whai hītori hohonu mō te Māori. I huaina tēnei wāhi ko 'Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Māui'. I mua i te taenga mai o te Fifeshire, kua maha kē ngā iwi i noho i tēnei takiwā, tae atu ki a Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, me Rangitāne o Wairau. I te tekau tau atu i 1820 me 1830, i heke mai hoki ngā iwi o Tainui me Taranaki (pēnei i a Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Koata, me Te Āti Awa) ki tēnei rohe.I te tau 1770, i torotoro te Kāpene James Cook i tēnei moana, ā, nāna te ingoa 'Cook Strait' i hoatu ki te moana i waenga i te Ika-a-Māui me te Waipounamu. I te tau 1840, i hainatia te Tiriti o Waitangi e ngā rangatira o Ngāi Tahu me ētahi atu iwi o te Tonga, e whakatau ana i te mana o te Karauna ki runga i te Waipounamu.
Te Tipu o te Rohe
Whai muri i te Fifeshire, ka tae mai ētahi atu kaipuke pēnei i te Mary Ann, te Lord Auckland, me te Lloyds. Nā ēnei kaipuke i mau mai ngā hangarau ahuwhenua hou me te hononga kaha ki a Ūropi me Amerika ki te Raki. I roto i te wā, ka noho a Nelson hei pokapū mō te mahi ahuwhenua, te hī ika, me te mahi rākau, ā, i muri mai, ka noho hei takiwā matua mō te whakatipu āporo, hāpi (hops), me te waina.Te Reo o te Hapori: Me pēhea te whakanui?
Ko te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Whakatū he rā mō te whānau me te hapori. Kaore i rite ki ētahi rā nui pēnei i te Rā o Waitangi, te Rā o ANZAC rānei, ehara tēnei i te rā e kī ana i ngā hātepe ōkawa (formal ceremonies). He rā mō te whakatā, te pikiniki, me te koa i raro i te rā o te raumati.
Ngā Mahi a te Whānau
I te mea he orite tonu te ahua o te rangi—he rā, he mahana—he maha ngā whānau ka haere ki te takutai moana. Ko Tahunanui Beach te wāhi rongonui i Nelson, ā, i Marlborough, ka haere te iwi ki te whanga o Queen Charlotte Sound. Barbecues me te Pikiniki: Ko te rorerore (barbecue) te mahi matua. Ka huihui ngā hoa me ngā whānau ki ngā pāka, ki ngā māra rānei ki te tunu kai. Whakatere Waka: I te mea he kaha te hītori moana o te rohe, he maha ngā tāngata ka puta ki te moana i runga i ō rātou poti, waka rānei. Hākinakina: He maha ngā whakataetae hākinakina ā-rohe e tū ana i tēnei wiki roa, mai i te tēnihi ki te kirikiti.Te Ahurea me te Toi
He takiwā rongonui a Nelson mō te hunga mahi toi. I te wiki o te Rā Whakamaharatanga, he maha ngā taiwhanga toi (art galleries) me ngā maakete e tuhera ana. He wā pai tēnei mō ngā kaimahi toi ki te whakaatu i ā rātou mahi ki te hunga e toro mai ana ki te rohe. I ētahi wā, ka tū ngā whakaaturanga hītori i te whare taonga o Nelson (Nelson Provincial Museum) hei whakamahara i te iwi ki ngā kōrero o te Fifeshire me te hītori o te rohe.Ngā Tikanga me ngā Taonga Tuku Iho
Ahakoa he rā whakatā noa ki te titiro a te tangata, he hohonu ngā tikanga e mau tonu ana i tēnei rā.
- Te Whakamahara ki te Fifeshire: He maha ngā whānau kei Nelson ka taea te kōrero mō tō rātou whakapapa mai i ngā pāhihi o te Fifeshire. Mō ēnei whānau, he rā tēnei ki te titiro ki ngā pukapuka whakapapa, ki te toro rānei i ngā urupā o rātou mā i tae tuatahi mai.
- Te Whakaute i te Moana: He nui te whakaute o te hunga o Nelson ki te moana. Ko te pōrearea o te Fifeshire i te toka i te kūaha o te whanga he whakamahara tonu ki te mana o te moana. I tēnei rā, he maha ngā kaupapa waka e whakanui ana i tēnei hononga ki te wai.
- Te Kotahitanga o te Rohe: Ahakoa he rerekē ngā tāone o Nelson, Richmond, Blenheim, me Motueka, i tēnei rā ka kotahi te whakaaro: ko te whakanui i te takiwā o Te Tau Ihu. He tohu tēnei i te kotahitanga o te pokapū o Aotearoa.
He rā whakatā tūmatanui i tēnei?
Āe, ko te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Whakatū he rā whakatā tūmatanui (statutory public holiday) mō te hunga e noho ana, e mahi ana hoki i te rohe o Nelson me Marlborough.
He aha te tikanga o tēnei mō te iwi?
Ngā Kura me ngā Whare Wānanga: Ka katia katoatia. Ngā Peke me te Poutāpeta: Ka katia ēnei ratonga. Ngā Tari Kāwanatanga: Kaore e tuhera i tēnei rā. Ngā Toa me ngā Pakihi: He maha ngā pakihi ka kati, engari ko ngā pakihi e pā ana ki te tāpoi (tourism) me te kai (restaurants, cafes, dairies) ka tuhera tonu hei manaaki i te hunga e whakatā ana. Mena ka mahi tētahi tangata i tēnei rā, e ai ki te ture o Aotearoa, me utu ki te "time and a half" (kotahi me te hāwhe te utu), ā, ka whiwhi hoki i tētahi rā whakatā i tētahi atu rā (day in lieu).Te Rohe ka whakanui i tēnei rā
He mea nui kia mohio ko tēnei rā whakatā e hāngai ana ki te rohe o Nelson anake (tae atu ki Marlborough). Mena kei te haere koe ki te Ika-a-Māui, ki te tonga rānei o te Waipounamu (pēnei i Ōtautahi, Ōtepoti rānei), he rā mahi noa tēnei mō rātou. He mea motuhake tēnei ki te rohe o Te Tau Ihu.Aratohu mō te hunga e toro mai ana (Visitors Guide)
Mena kei te tūmanako koe ki te toro ki Nelson i te wiki o te Rā Whakamaharatanga i te tau 2026, Anei ētahi tohutohu hei āwhina i a koe:
- Tāpui tō nohoanga (Book Early): He wā tino pukumahi tēnei mō te rohe. He maha ngā iwi o Aotearoa ka rere ki Nelson mō te wiki roa. Me mātua tāpui i tō hotera, i tō puni (campground) rānei i mua noa atu.
- Te Haere ki ngā Pāka ā-Motu: Ko Nelson te kūaha ki te Abel Tasman National Park. I te mea he rā whakatā tēnei, ka kī tonu te pāka i te tangata. He pai ake te haere wawe i te ata ki te hopu i tētahi wāhi waka me te pai o te rā.
- Whakamahere mō te kai: Ahakoa he maha ngā whare kai ka tuhera, he maha hoki ka pukumahi rawa. He pai ake te tāpui tēpu mō te tina, mō te hapa rānei. Kia mahara hoki, i ngā rā whakatā tūmatanui, ka tāpirihia he "public holiday surcharge" (he utu tāpiri, pēnei i te 15%) ki te pire i ētahi whare kai hei utu i ngā kaimahi.
- Te Huarahi: Ka pukumahi ngā huarahi i waenga i a Nelson me Blenheim (State Highway 6). Kia tūpato i te huarahi, ā, kia roa te wā mō tō haerenga.
- Ngā Mahi Kore Utu: He maha ngā pāka pēnei i te Queens Gardens i Nelson he wāhi ataahua, kore utu hoki hei haere mā te whānau. Ko te haere ki te "Centre of New Zealand" i runga i te puke o Botanical Hill tētahi mahi me mātua mahi.
Te Hiranga o te rā ki te ohanga o te rohe
He nui te pānga o te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Whakatū ki te ohanga (economy) o te rohe. I te mea kei te tīmatanga o te marama o Pepuere tēnei rā, koia tēnei tētahi o ngā wā tino nui mō te tāpoi. Ko te hunga e toro mai ana ka whakapau moni ki ngā hōtēra, ki ngā whare kai, me ngā mahi tākaro pēnei i te kayak me te haere ki ngā māra waina o Marlborough.
I tua atu i tērā, he wā tēnei e whakaatu ana te rohe i ana hua whenua. He maha ngā tāngata ka hoko i ngā hua rākau hou (apples, berries) mai i ngā toa i te taha o te ara. He tohu tēnei i te manaaki a te whenua i te iwi, he mea i tīmata mai i te taenga mai o te Fifeshire i te tau 1842, i te wā i tīmata ai te iwi ki te ngaki i te whenua.
Te Whakamutunga
Ko te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Whakatū he rā e hono ai te onamata ki te inamata. He rā hei whakanui i te hunga i maia ki te whakawhiti i te moana nui, me te hunga i nōhia te whenua i mua i a rātou.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Nelson Anniversary Day in New Zealand
Nelson Anniversary Day will be observed on Monday, February 2, 2026, 2026. From today, December 31, 2025, there are 30 days remaining until the holiday. This regional anniversary is held annually on the Monday closest to February 1st to commemorate the arrival of the first New Zealand Company settlers in the region. In 2026, the date aligns perfectly as a Monday, providing a long weekend for those living in the Nelson and Marlborough areas to enjoy the height of the New Zealand summer.
Yes, it is a statutory public holiday specifically for the Nelson and Marlborough regions under the Holidays Act 1981. On this day, schools, banks, post offices, and most government departments are closed. While many retail stores and businesses also shut their doors, essential services like dairies and takeaway shops usually remain open. It is important to note that this is a regional holiday and not a national one; therefore, businesses in other parts of New Zealand, such as Auckland or Wellington, will operate as usual.
The day commemorates the founding of Nelson as the second-oldest European settlement in New Zealand. Specifically, it marks the arrival of the ship Fifeshire on February 1, 1842. The Fifeshire traveled from London with 170 passengers, enduring a difficult four-and-a-half-month journey where 17 people died of fever. Ironically, after safely delivering the settlers, the ship wrecked on a reef in Nelson Harbour. The holiday honors these early pioneers and the subsequent arrival of ships like the Mary Ann and Lord Auckland, which helped establish the agricultural and maritime roots of the region.
Celebrations are generally relaxed and family-oriented, taking full advantage of the region's sunny summer weather. Rather than formal parades or solemn ceremonies, most locals prefer low-key outdoor activities. Common ways to spend the long weekend include hosting backyard barbecues, having picnics in local parks, or heading to the beach for swimming and boating. It is a time for the community to gather and enjoy the natural beauty of the area, reflecting the maritime and rural heritage that has defined Nelson and Marlborough since the 1840s.
Visitors can expect a very quiet atmosphere in the city centers as many services and offices close for the long weekend. However, the region becomes a popular destination for domestic travelers, so it is highly recommended to book accommodation and transport well in advance. While the streets may be quiet, the national parks and beaches will be busy. It is an ideal time for hiking in Abel Tasman National Park, kayaking, or visiting the world-renowned wineries in Marlborough, provided you plan for the holiday closures.
Before the arrival of European settlers on ships like the Fifeshire, the region was inhabited by Māori and known as 'Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Maui', which translates to 'The Prow of the Canoe of Maui'. In 1840, a treaty was signed with Ngāi Tahu chiefs regarding the South Island. Captain James Cook had also explored and mapped the area in 1770, naming the Cook Strait. The anniversary primarily focuses on the colonial establishment of the province by the New Zealand Company in the mid-19th century.
There are no specific dress codes or rigid traditions associated with Nelson Anniversary Day. Because it falls during the warmest part of the year, casual summer attire like shorts, t-shirts, and hats is the standard. While there are no major formal events, you might find informal heritage talks or small maritime displays at local museums or community centers. The focus remains on leisure and enjoying the 'Kiwi summer' lifestyle through outdoor pursuits and community connection.
The holiday is observed throughout the Nelson and Marlborough regions of the South Island. This includes the city of Nelson and surrounding districts such as Tasman and Marlborough. It is one of 12 provincial anniversary days celebrated across New Zealand, each marking the founding dates of the original colonial provinces. If you are traveling through the South Island, be aware that while Nelson might be celebrating, neighboring regions like Canterbury or Otago will have different anniversary dates and will be working as normal.
Historical Dates
Nelson Anniversary Day dates in New Zealand from 2010 to 2025
| Year | Day of Week | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Monday | February 3, 2025 |
| 2024 | Monday | January 29, 2024 |
| 2023 | Monday | January 30, 2023 |
| 2022 | Monday | January 31, 2022 |
| 2021 | Monday | February 1, 2021 |
| 2020 | Monday | February 3, 2020 |
| 2019 | Monday | February 4, 2019 |
| 2018 | Monday | January 29, 2018 |
| 2017 | Monday | January 30, 2017 |
| 2016 | Monday | February 1, 2016 |
| 2015 | Monday | February 2, 2015 |
| 2014 | Monday | February 3, 2014 |
| 2013 | Monday | February 4, 2013 |
| 2012 | Monday | January 30, 2012 |
| 2011 | Monday | January 31, 2011 |
| 2010 | Monday | February 1, 2010 |
Note: Holiday dates may vary. Some holidays follow lunar calendars or have different observance dates. Purple indicates weekends.
About New Zealand
- Country Code
- NZ
- Continent
- Oceania
- Total Holidays
- 19