Calendar

With all the talk of Hillary Day, and Mike Moore's plea in the Herald for a constitutional reform timeline towards a Republic, I'll repost this from October 2005:-

Public Holidays Reform (Transition to Republic) Act 2005

This could have gone on to the CRC site, but it isn't strictly relevant at this stage.

Currently NZ has a a public holiday system based on English/European adherence to Christianity and commemorations of nationhood, the Crown and ideology, with a regional system of provincial anniversary days (in the spring and summer), viz:

JAN-New Year's Day
JAN-Day after New Year's Day
FEB-Waitangi Day
MAR/APR-Good Friday
MAR/APR-Easter Monday
APR-Anzac Day (1/2 day)
JUN-Queen's Birthday
OCT-Labour Day
DEC-Christmas Day
DEC-Boxing Day

Total 9.5 days + 1 regional anniversary day.

To move the nation into a system that recognises real and traditional local commemorations, honours a modern nationhood, strengthens the bonds of civic inter-dependence and responsibility, preserves the seasonality and family benefits of long weekends, aligns in a practical way with other important events, and that reflects a secular, non-religious state the new schedule of public holidays shall be:

Regional anniversary days:
These shall be up to each community to decide. These holidays represent a provincial system long since passed and are of less relevance to many Maori communities who commemorate the anniversary their community signed the Treaty of Waitangi. As such there are many community Waitangi Days all over the country - those communities should be able to have their public holiday on that day.

National holidays:
JAN-New Year's Day
JAN-Day after New Year's Day
FEB-Waitangi Day
MAR/APR-Good Friday
MAR/APR-Easter Monday
APR-Anzac Day (1/2 day)
JUN-Queen's Birthday
OCT-Labour Day
DEC-Christmas Day
DEC-Boxing Day

To replace Easter holidays: "Autumn Festival"
On last weekend of March to be on Friday & Monday - and to be end of Daylight Savings Time (So sometimes the Christian Easter commemoration will align with the Autumn Festival)

To replace Queen's Birthday: "Matariki/Winter Festival"
On second weekend of June on Monday

To replace Labour Day: "Spring Festival"
On second weekend of October on Monday - and to be start of Daylight Savings Time

And add: "Civic Day" or possibly "Citizens' Day"
On third Saturday of November from midday to midnight. This day is when central, regional and local triennial government elections are held on alternating years. For community/territorial elections there may also be general citizens' meetings similar to an AGM where officers are elected at the meeting and reports etc. presented to the meeting. Having this on a Saturday is traditional for NZ, having it as a public holiday means there is no work pressure not to attend or participate for most people, and having it as a half day means that business can still go ahead in the morning as people take care of their non-civic duties and polling booths (in the case of a general election) will be open during the morning anyway. Making it a Saturday also means it is not a long weekend - which would have encouraged people to go on holiday and therefore neglect the public duties for which that "holiday" was created. Having a set day for elections also provides certainty and for better planning. It will also (hopefully) create a better civic culture of regular participation and concern for community and public issues. Half a day a year isn't a great sacrifice. Also on a third Saturday in November the election result should be finalised by early December and a government formed before Christmas. Also between Civic Day and Spring Festival will be the de facto election campaign "season" thus quarterising it from being too early in the winter and too late where it would interfere with Christmas consumerism/activities.

New schedule of national holidays:
JAN 1- New Year's Day
JAN 2- Day after New Year's Day
FEB 6- Waitangi Day
MAR last Friday & Monday- Autumn Festival (Daylight Savings Ends)
APR 25- Anzac Day (1/2 day)
JUN second Monday- Matariki/Winter Festival
OCT second Monday- Spring Festival (Daylight Savings Starts)
NOV third Saturday- Civic/Citizens' Day (1/2 Day)
DEC 25-Christmas Day
DEC 26-Boxing Day

Total 10 Days + Regional/community local holiday

NB: Why haven't I got rid of Christmas and Boxing Day? I would like to get rid of the Christianity aspects of what is already a purely secular event/rituals for the vast majority of the population, which means abolishing the word Christmas and possibly the changing of the date - but I haven't got big enough balls to propose that! Getting rid of Easter by turning it back into the pagan sort of festival it originally was is enough Christian-bashing for the moment.