ANNIVERSARY DAYS

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 21, 25 January 1934, Page 4

ANNIVERSARY DAYS

PLETHOfii OP DATES

THE COLONY'S BIRTHDAY

CLAIMS OF JANUARY 30

Wellington celebrated its Anniversary .Day on Monday lust,*aud was not too pleased with what the elements producccl 'for the occasion; Auckland has its own Anniversary Day on Monday next, and hopes for better weather; on the' flrht day of next month Nelson and'Westporf follow suit; Otago and Southland celebrate on Mai eh 23, and Taranald-follows on March 31. There is thcn'.a break in local Anniversary __ Day celebrations until later in the year, Maryborough appropriating November 1, as does also' Hawke's Bay, Westland 'December 1, and Canterbury December 16. ' New Zealand as a whole has no Annivorsaryv Day on which the birth of the. colony is 'celebrated.' Dominion Day, September 26, is only the celebration of the colony's elevation to * the status of a Dominion. When six years -hciice.'.in 1940, New Zealand's centen-ary-is celebrated, it will piobably be; 'January 30 that is selected as the day of datys in a week or so of festivities, for that is the- date on which in 1840 Captain Hobs'on raado the proclamation constituting New v" Zealand a British colony and ou which the British flag was hoisted at the Bay. of Islands. But 'as an Anniversary Day for the whole of New Zealand January 30 5s not likely to be adopted without some <'lih]lcn<>O3 from other datos. "Why not January 22," says the staunch Wellingtonian'j "seeing it was on that date the fnf-t amis»raut'ship, the Aurora, a i rived "at Port Nicholson?" This was certainly tho first effort at organised settlement and in a way marked the foundation of tho colony, but there was- nothing "official" about the arlival of this emigrant ship, just the reverse. ' Going much further back into history, one-,can bring forward other claims'for adoption as tho anniversary date for" New Zealand, but these have little to back them. Abel Tasmau first sighted. Now Zealand on December 13, 1C42, but'to the Dutch (except fot the use- of their tugs to bring out floating docks) Now Zealand owes 'littlesbut its name. Captain Cook .first■ sighted' New Zealand on October 6, 1769, and later hoisted tho 'Union Jack in each, Tsland' and took possession ;of the land in'the name of King-George 111. But no colonisation^ followed, and Cook's proclamation 'was' rendered ut-' ' terly ineffective by the subsequent ac-' tioh 'of the British' Parliament in re- -" cognising the titular independence of the Maori. When hobson. arrived. These episodes in the history of New Zealand 'Can, therefore, bo wiped1 out' as, of no .account !in providing an anni-

yersary. date, and .wo come, down to, - more recent history and to the doings of Captain. William. Hobson, H.N. He arrived at the Bay of Islands on January 29, 1840,-empowered to proclaim, with the assent of the Natives, ,> tho sovereignty of Queen Victoria over the Islands of New Zealand and to assume

tho G6vernment thereof. This proclamation was made on the following day, "January 30,- and tho flag was hoisted. • New Zealand, however, .was then regarded- only, as, a dependency of New South Waled,. although its birth as a colony had -actually taken place. The Royal Charter which created Now Zealand a,separate colony was dated Nov-; ember 16 r 1840, effect being given1 to ■ the change on May 3, 1841. It -waa on September 26, 1907, that the,colony^ i grew up and became a Dominion. ,' AUCKLAND'S MISTAKE. , ,

Jawiary 30, it _ would' appear,, lia3' * niore justification for being regarded as'the birthday of Now Zealand than any other date, and , curiously enough Auckland's Anniversary Day on Janu-

i ary 29 is really an attempt to celebrate this birthday, although most Auckilandors believe that on that dato they aro celebrating the biith of the Queen City'of the North. But as a,'matter of fact Auckland was not founded until September, 1840, and tho adoption of January_29 as> its Anniversary ,Day was oiiginally intended, to commemorate Captain' Hobson'h proclamation and flag hoisting on January 30. The ' celebration, however, many years ago got shifted to the wrong date. This I was becausei in 1842 the event was celebrated a day too early as the correct date fell on a Sunday, and "the mistake has been perpetuated ever since. January 30 would-make a good date on which to celebrate a Dominion Anniversary Day. It comes at a time of year when summer *is> supposed to1 be in, full' Swing, and-its .Dominion-wide , celebration would not prevent_ c,aeh ! cfrntro • continuing its own special anniversary celebrations. Auckland imight .bo.content to celebrate its foun--1 elation in , the proper month (September) or to change the present celebration from January 29 to January 30 so as to be more in accord with historical fact. Wellington might perhaps find its own Anniversary Day a bit too close to the Dominion Anniversary Day to indulgo in two holidays and might be content with one holiday to cover both dates. Australia has an anniversary day for the, whole Commonwealth as well as ' "foundation" and "separation" days for the individual' States. New Zealand, before the 1940 centenary celebrations, will havo to select a Dominion anniversary day, and it looks as if January 30 ought to be that day. '