when is wellington anniversary

Wellington Anniversary Day is marked on 22 January, but the public holiday is observed on the Monday closest to that date each year in the Wellington region of New Zealand.

Key details

• The official anniversary date commemorated is 22 January 1840, the day the first main settler ship Aurora arrived in Port Nicholson (now Wellington Harbour).

• The public holiday “Wellington Anniversary Day” is celebrated on the Monday nearest to 22 January so people get a long weekend.

Upcoming dates (examples)

• 2025 public holiday: Monday 20 January 2025.

• 2026 public holiday: Monday 26 January 2026 (the Monday after 22 January).

So when people ask “when is Wellington Anniversary?”, they usually mean the Monday public holiday nearest 22 January, even though the historic anniversary itself is on 22 January.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.