If you want to develop your listening skills, try these tasks as you listen to the text. The answers are at the bottom of this page, after the Vocabulary. Thanks to Natasha Groves for preparing the tasks.
If you want to listen and read, just scroll down to the text.
1. Listening for main ideas
First, just listen to the text, taking notes if you wish. What information can you catch during this first listening?
2. Now listen again and answer the following questions:
- What occurs once a year in every region in New Zealand?
- What historical event in Wellington does today’s holiday commemorate?
- How did Wellington get its name?
- Which period of New Zealand history do anniversary days commemorate?
- Which workers get a day off on anniversary days, and which workers don’t?
3. Listening for dates
Now listen again and write the date of each region’s 2025 anniversary day. Then read the text to check your own answers.
| Nelson | Taranaki | Otago |
| Auckland & northern regions | Canterbury | Southland |
| South Canterbury | Hawke’s Bay | Marlborough |
| Chatham Islands/ Westland |
Text
Every region in New Zealand has its own anniversary day holiday every year. There is usually a reason why the date for the anniversary was chosen, although most people don’t know the reason and just enjoy a holiday. Most anniversary days are on a Monday so that people have a long weekend. This means that the date is different from the historical date, but it’s the Monday closest to that date.
Today is Wellington Anniversary Day, which commemorates the arrival of British settlers on 22 January 1840. They were on a ship called the ‘Aurora’. They landed at Petone which was originally going to be the site for a town. However, that area flooded so the town was moved to Thorndon in Wellington City. The town was named after the first Duke of Wellington, who was famous for winning the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
There are anniversary days in several other regions which mark the arrival of European settlers. Like in Wellington, those in Nelson, Taranaki, and Otago mark the landing of the first ship of these settlers. This year their holidays are on 3 February, 10 March, and 24 March respectively. Auckland’s anniversary is on 27 January this year, and is for not only Auckland but also Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, and Gisborne. This day remembers the arrival of the first Governor of New Zealand, William Hobson, who arrived in Auckland on 29 January 1840.
Canterbury’s anniversary used to celebrate the arrival of settlers on 16 December 1850, but during the 1950s it was moved to November to be Show Day. That is for the A & P Show (the Agricultural and Pastoral Show), when farmers come to town to show their farm animals.
It is important to remember, however, that Māori already lived in Aotearoa New Zealand before Europeans arrived, so these anniversary days are only part of our history. Perhaps for Māori they mark the beginning of difficult times, as the settlers took land from them.
Anniversary days for the other regions this year are as follows: Southland 22 April, South Canterbury 22 September, Hawke’s Bay 24 October, Marlborough 3 November, and Chatham Islands and Westland 1 December.
On anniversary days banks and offices in that region are closed, but supermarkets and other places are open. Thus, people who work in shops, cafes and restaurants don’t get a holiday on these days. They are paid the normal pay rate, whereas on national public holidays they are paid time and a half (that is, 1.5 times their standard rate).
Vocabulary
anniversary – a date on which something special or important happened
commemorate – in this context, to remember an important event in the past
Answers
a. What occurs once a year in every province in New Zealand?
An anniversary day: a holiday for that region; usually on a Monday.
b. What historical event in Wellington does today’s holiday commemorate?
The arrival of British settlers on 22 January 1840; they landed at Petone; their ship was called ‘Aurora’.
c. How did Wellington get its name?
It was named after the first Duke of Wellington. He won the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
d. Which period of New Zealand history do anniversary days commemorate?
The period after Europeans arrived in New Zealand.
e. Which workers get a day off on anniversary days, and which workers don’t?
Bank and office workers get a day off; people who work in shops, cafes, and restaurants don’t.