Holiday Details
- Holiday Name
- Otago Anniversary Day
- Country
- New Zealand
- Date
- March 23, 2026
- Day of Week
- Monday
- Status
- 79 days away
- About this Holiday
- Otago Anniversary Day is a local holiday in New Zealand
Otago Anniversary Day
New Zealand • March 23, 2026 • Monday
79
Days
09
Hours
00
Mins
20
Secs
until Otago Anniversary Day
Pacific/Auckland timezone
About Otago Anniversary Day
Also known as: Otago Anniversary Day
Te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Otago: He Whakanui i te Tuku ihotanga me te Tuakiri ā-Rohe
Ko te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Otago (Otago Anniversary Day) he rā whakahirahira e whakanui ana i te hitori, i te whakapapa, me te wairua o te iwi o Otago. Ehara i te mea he rā whakatā noa iho; he wā tēnei hei titiro whakamuri ki ngā tūpuna i whakawhiti mai i te moana nui, ki te hononga ki te whenua, me te whakawhanaketanga o tētahi o ngā rohe tino ataahua o Aotearoa. He rā tēnei e tūhono ai te hitori o te iwi Māori, ngā tāngata whenua, me te taenga mai o ngā tāngata whai i te rautau tekau mā iwa, e hanga ana i te tuakiri ahurei o tēnei taha o te motu.
I tēnei rā, ka okioki te hunga mahi, ka kati ngā kura, ā, ka whai wā ngā whānau ki te toro ki ngā tātahi, ki ngā maunga, ki ngā whare taonga rānei. He huinga tēnei o te whakaaro nui me te whakangā. Ahakoa he maha ngā rā whakamaharatanga puta noa i te motu, ko tō Otago he mea motuhake nā te kaha o te pānga o te ahurea Kotimana (Scottish) ki te rohe. Ko te hoahoanga o ngā whare i Ōtepoti, te reo, me ngā kura, kei te mau tonu i te hā o aua rā o mua.
Ko te mea nui o tēnei rā, ko te whakanui i te orite o te hapori. Ahakoa kei te noho koe ki te manawa o Ōtepoti, ki ngā maunga o Central Otago, ki te takutai rānei o Waitaki, he rā tēnei hei whakakotahi i te iwi i raro i te haki o Otago. He rā hoki hei whakanui i te manawanui o te iwi, mai i ngā rā o te rapu koura ki te whanaketanga o te whare wānanga tuatahi o Aotearoa.
Āhea te Rā Whakamaharatanga i te Tau 2026?
He rā nuku tēnei rā whakatā, e ai ki ngā rerekētanga o te maramataka kia whai wā ai te iwi ki tētahi wiki roa (long weekend). Mō te tau e haere ake nei, koinei ngā kōrero mō te whakanui:
Te Rā: March 23, 2026 Te Rā o te Wiki: Monday Te Mataora: He 79 ngā rā e toe ana tae noa ki te whakanui.
He mea rerekē te rā o Otago i ētahi wa. Ahakoa ko te rā whakanui tūturu ko te 23 o Maehe, ka nekehia te rā whakatā tūmatanui ki te Mane e tata ana kia pai ai te whakatā a te marea. I ētahi wā, ki te tuki tēnei rā ki te rā o te Aranga (Easter), ka rerekē anō te whakatau a ngā kaunihera ā-rohe. Heoi, mō te tau 2026, kua whakaritea paitia hei te Monday.
Te Tikanga o te Rā: He Whakamārama Hitori
Ko te pūtake o te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Otago e hoki ana ki te 23 o Maehe, 1848. I tēnei rā, i punga te kaipuke John Wickliffe ki Koputai (Port Chalmers). Koinei te kaipuke tuatahi o te Otago Association, e kawe ana i ngā manene i ahu mai i te Free Church of Scotland. Ko Kapene William Cargill te kaiārahi o tēnei rōpū, ā, ko tā rātou he rapu i tētahi kāinga hou e noho ai rātou i raro i ō rātou whakapono whakapono me ō rātou uara matatika.
He wiki torutoru i muri mai, i te 15 o Paenga-whāwhā, ka tae mai te kaipuke tuarua, te Philip Laing, i raro i te mana o te Rev. Thomas Burns (te irāmutu a te kaituhi ruri rongonui, a Robert Burns). Ko tēnei rōpū iti o ngā manene Kotimana te tūāpapa o te tāone o Ōtepoti (Dunedin). Ko te ingoa 'Dunedin' tonu, he ingoa tawhito mō Edinburgh i te reo Gaelic.
Heoi, me mahara tonu tātou ehara i te mea i tīmata te hitori o tēnei whenua i te tau 1848. He mano tau te iwi Māori (ngā iwi e mōhiotia ana ko Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe, me Kāi Tahu) e noho ana i tēnei whenua. Ko te Rā Whakamaharatanga he wā hoki hei whakaaro ki te hononga i waenga i te iwi whenua me te hunga i tae mai i muri mai. I te taha o te whakanui i te taenga mai o te John Wickliffe, kei te piki haere te mārama ki te hitori o te takiwā i mua i te taenga mai o te Pākehā, me te hira o te Tiriti o Waitangi i roto i te horopaki o te rohe.
I te tau 1852, i whakatūhia te Kāwanatanga ā-Rohe o Otago (Otago Provincial Government), ā, koinei tētahi atu kaupapa e whakanuia ana i tēnei rā. Ahakoa kua whakakorea aua kāwanatanga ā-rohe i ēnei rā, kei te mau tonu te wehenga o ngā rā whakamaharatanga puta noa i te motu hei maharatanga ki taua wā o mua.
Ngā Whakanui me ngā Tikanga
Kaore e rite te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Otago ki te Rā o Waitangi, ki te Kirihimete rānei he nui ngā huihuinga tūmatanui. He rā marie tēnei, e aro nui ana ki te whānau me te hapori.
- Ngā Huihuinga i Koputai me Ōtepoti:
- Te Whakangā i te Taiao:
- Ngā Mahi ā-Whānau:
- Te Whakanui i te Kotimana-tanga:
He Tohutohu mā te Hunga Toro me te Hunga Hou
Mēnā kei te whakamahere koe ki te toro ki Otago i te wiki o te Rā Whakamaharatanga i te tau 2026, Anei ētahi tohutohu whai take:
Pukapuka i mua: He wiki roa tēnei, no reira ka kapi wawe ngā hotera me ngā motel, ina koa ki ngā wāhi rongonui pēnei i Queenstown, Wanaka, me Ōtepoti. He mea nui te whakarite wawe i tō haerenga. Te Huarahi: Kia tūpato i te taraiwa. Ka piki te maha o ngā waka i te huarahi matua (State Highway 1) me ngā huarahi ki Central Otago. Whakatā i waenga i te haerenga, ā, kaua e whāwhai. Te Āhua o te Rangi: Ahakoa he raumati tonu i te marama o Maehe, he tino rerekē te huarere o te Tonga. Ka taea te rerekē i te rā kotahi — mai i te rā mahana ki te ua makariri. Me kawe tētahi koti mahana me tētahi koti ua, ahakoa te ahua o te rangi ina wehe koe i te kāinga. Ngā Toa me ngā Ratonga: Nā te mea he rā whakatā tūmatanui ā-rohe tēnei, ka kati te nuinga o ngā tari kāwanatanga, ngā peke, me ngā kura. Heoi, ka tuwhera tonu ngā hokomaha (supermarkets) me te nuinga o ngā kawhe i ngā wāhi tūruhi, ahakoa ka utua pea tētahi taapiri (surcharge) 15% i ētahi wāhi mō te rā whakatā. Toro atu ki Toitū: Mēnā kei Ōtepoti koe, ko te whare taonga o Toitū Otago Settlers Museum he waahi me toro tonu. He kore utu te uru atu, ā, koinei te wāhi pai rawa atu ki te mārama ki te take o tēnei rā whakatā.
Te Whanui o te Rohe o Otago
Ina kōrero tātou mō te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Otago, he mea nui kia mahara he rohe nui tēnei. Ka kapi i tēnei rā whakatā:
Ōtepoti (Dunedin): Te pokapū o te hitori me te ahurea. Otago ki te Tonga (South Otago): Balclutha me te rohe o The Catlins, he wāhi mohoao, he ataahua hoki. Otago ki te Waenganui (Central Otago): Alexandra, Cromwell, me te rohe o ngā mara wāina me te rapu koura o mua. Otago ki te Raki (North Otago): Oamaru, e rongonui ana mō ana whare kohatu mā me te ahurea Steampunk. Ngā Roto o te Tonga (Southern Lakes): Queenstown me Wanaka (ahakoa he maha ngā tāngata o reira e whai ana i te rā whakamaharatanga, i ētahi wā ka rerekē te tirohanga a te hunga pakihi ki te rā whakatā).
Ko te rohe katoa he huinga o ngā whenua rerekē, mai i te takutai moana ki ngā maunga teitei, ā, ko tēnei rā he wā hei whakanui i taua kanorau.
He Rā Whakatā Tūmatanui?
Ae, he rā whakatā tūmatanui te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Otago mō te hunga e noho ana, e mahi ana rānei i roto i te rohe o Otago. He mea nui kia mōhio:
Mō te Hunga Mahi: E ai ki te ture (Holidays Act 2003), ki te mahi koe i tēnei rā, ā, he rā mahi noa tēnei mōu, me utua koe ki te "half-time point five" (time and a half), ā, ka whiwhi koe i tētahi rā whakatā hei utu (alternative holiday/day in lieu). Mō te Hunga Kāore e Mahi: He rā whakatā whai utu tēnei mēnā he rā mahi noa tēnei mōu. Ngā Kura me ngā Tari: Ka kati ngā kura katoa o te rohe, tae atu ki ngā whare wānanga (ahakoa he rerekē pea ngā rā whakatā o te Whare Wānanga o Otago i ētahi wā e ai ki tā rātou maramataka ako). Ko ngā tari kaunihera me ngā ratonga kāwanatanga ka kati katoa. Ngā Kawhe me ngā Toa: He maha ngā kawhe ka noho tuwhera hei manaaki i te hunga whakatā, engari kia rite mō te utu taapiri. Ko ngā toa hokohoko nui i ngā tāone pēnei i Ōtepoti ka tuwhera tonu, engari he poto ake pea ngā haora mahi.
Te Hononga ki te Iwi Māori
Ahakoa ko te pūtake o te rā e pā ana ki te taenga mai o ngā manene Pākehā, kei te huri te titiro a te hapori ki te whakauru mai i te reo me ngā kōrero a Kāi Tahu ki roto i te rā. Ko te ingoa Ōtepoti te ingoa tūturu o te wāhi e tū nei te tāone o Dunedin. Ko te kōrero mō te hononga o te iwi ki te moana, ki te hī ika, me te tauhokohoko i mua i te taenga mai o te John Wickliffe* he wāhanga nui o te hitori o Otago.
I ēnei rā, he mea nui kia kaua e titiro noa ki te rā hei whakanui i te "settlement", engari hei wā mō te katoa o te hapori — ahakoa nō hea mai ō tūpuna — ki te whakanui i tō rātou noho ki tēnei wāhi motuhake o te ao. Ko te manaakitanga me te kaitiakitanga o te whenua ko ētahi o ngā uara e whakakotahi ana i te iwi o Otago i tēnei rā.
Whakarāpopototanga
Ko te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Otago i te tau 2026 he wā whakahirahira mō te katoa o te rohe. I te March 23, 2026, ka tū tahi te iwi ki te mahara ki te tawhiti o te haerenga mai o te hapori, mai i te taenga mai o ngā kaipuke tuatahi i te tau 1848 ki te rohe hihiri, matatau, ataahua hoki e kite nei tātou i tēnei rā.
He rā hei whakahōnoretanga i te hunga i para i te huarahi, he rā hei okioki i te mahi, ā, he rā hei whakaaro ki te heke mai o te rohe. Ahakoa he rā whakatā ā-rohe noa iho, he tohu tēnei mō te tuakiri kaha o te hunga o te Tonga — he iwi manawanui, he iwi whai kōrero, ā, he iwi e mōhio ana ki te whakanui i tō rātou whakapapa.
No reira, i te tau 2026, ahakoa kei te hīkoi koe i te tiriti o George Street, kei te mātakitaki i te rā e tō ana i runga i te roto o Wakatipu, kei te pānui rānei i te hitori ki Toitū, kia pai tō whakanui i te Rā Whakamaharatanga o Otago. E 79 noa iho ngā rā e toe ana — kua reri koe?
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Otago Anniversary Day in New Zealand
Otago Anniversary Day will be observed on Monday, March 23, 2026. There are approximately 79 days remaining until the region celebrates this occasion. The holiday is generally held on the Monday closest to March 23rd each year to ensure residents can enjoy a long weekend. This specific timing commemorates the historical arrival of the first European settler ships to the Otago region in 1848, specifically the landing at Port Chalmers.
Yes, it is a public holiday, but it applies only to the Otago region rather than the entire country. Schools, banks, and most government offices are closed throughout the province, including in major centers like Dunedin and Port Chalmers. While many private businesses also close, essential services like supermarkets often remain open with limited hours. Public transport typically operates on a Sunday or holiday schedule, so it is important for locals and visitors to check timetables in advance.
The holiday commemorates the arrival of the first Scottish Free Church settlers on March 23, 1848. The ship 'John Wickliffe' arrived first at Koputai (Port Chalmers) carrying Captain William Cargill, followed shortly after by the 'Philip Laing' with Reverend Thomas Burns. These pioneers sought to establish a specific Scottish colony under the Otago Association. The day also marks the establishment of Otago's provincial government in 1852 and serves as a time to acknowledge both the European settlement and the enduring presence of Māori as the original inhabitants of the land.
Celebrations are generally relaxed and community-focused rather than large-scale or formal. Many residents take advantage of the late summer weather to explore the outdoors, visiting the rugged coastlines, hiking, or traveling to the vineyards of Central Otago. In Dunedin and Port Chalmers, you may find community gatherings, historical reenactments, and pioneer tributes. Families often host barbecues or picnics, and many people visit heritage sites like the Otago Settlers Museum to reflect on the region's unique Scottish-influenced identity and history.
There are no mandatory religious rituals or specific traditional foods that dominate Otago Anniversary Day. Instead, the focus is on regional pride and leisure. Because of the strong Scottish heritage, you might encounter Scottish-themed elements at local markets or heritage events, such as pipe bands or traditional crafts. However, for most modern residents, the 'tradition' involves a simple day off to enjoy the local landscape and spend quality time with friends and family before the autumn weather sets in.
Visitors can expect a low-key, friendly atmosphere. While the city center might be quieter due to shop closures, heritage sites and museums often have special displays. It is a great time to join community walks or visit Port Chalmers to see where the first settlers landed. If you plan to travel toward Central Otago, be aware that roads can be busier than usual with locals heading away for the long weekend. It is highly recommended to book accommodation and popular dining spots in advance to avoid disappointment.
Since the holiday falls in late March, Otago usually experiences mild late-summer conditions. Temperatures typically range between 15°C and 20°C, which is ideal for outdoor activities and exploring the coast. However, the region is known for its changeable weather and coastal winds, so it is wise to pack layers. Whether you are planning a beach trip or a visit to the botanical gardens, checking the local forecast is essential for a comfortable day out.
No, Otago Anniversary Day is one of thirteen regional anniversary days celebrated across New Zealand. Each region has its own specific date based on its local founding history. While Otago celebrates in March, other provinces like Auckland, Canterbury, or Wellington have their own holidays at different times of the year. If you are traveling outside of the Otago provincial boundaries on this day, businesses and schools will be operating as a normal working Monday.
Historical Dates
Otago Anniversary Day dates in New Zealand from 2010 to 2025
| Year | Day of Week | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Monday | March 24, 2025 |
| 2024 | Monday | March 25, 2024 |
| 2023 | Monday | March 20, 2023 |
| 2022 | Monday | March 21, 2022 |
| 2021 | Monday | March 22, 2021 |
| 2020 | Monday | March 23, 2020 |
| 2019 | Monday | March 25, 2019 |
| 2018 | Monday | March 26, 2018 |
| 2017 | Monday | March 20, 2017 |
| 2016 | Monday | March 21, 2016 |
| 2015 | Monday | March 23, 2015 |
| 2014 | Monday | March 24, 2014 |
| 2013 | Monday | March 25, 2013 |
| 2012 | Monday | March 26, 2012 |
| 2011 | Monday | March 21, 2011 |
| 2010 | Monday | March 22, 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