In December 2009 Cabinet decided to adopt a formal commemorations policy, to be administered by the Ministry with oversight from an Interdepartmental Steering Committee. There was a need for a co-ordinated approach between agencies to mark particularly important events and anniversaries, and to ensure better forward planning for these big events.

The Steering Committee consulted widely and submitted to Cabinet a list of important events and anniversaries over the next five years which they considered worthy of recognition. The Committee categorised these anniversaries as major national events and other national events.  They saw major as being an anniversary of an event which had a significant impact on the nation as a whole or on the pattern of New Zealand life; an example being the 100^th anniversary of the First World War.

Other national significance the Committee defined as anniversaries of events which were highly important but not of the same nation-changing magnitude as a major event.  It was agreed that nationally significant anniversaries whether major or other typically refer to 25^th, 50^th, 75^th, and 100^th anniversaries.  Exceptions were made for 60^th and 70^th anniversaries of battles of the Second World War and milestone anniversaries of later conflicts such as the Korean War, so that the remaining veterans of these events, who are declining in number, could be honoured.

Military events and anniversaries dominate the list over the next five years, particularly those connected with the Centenary of the First World War, such as commemorations of Gallipoli, Passchendaele, and the Somme. Unique events such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee add interest and variety to the list and there is also the opportunity for the achievements of outstanding New Zealanders, like Jean Batten, to be recognised. On 4 October 2010, Cabinet approved the following list (CAB Min (10) 35/4A).

Prioritised list of major and other anniversaries, 2011-2016.

In addition, here is a selection of New Zealand historic events and anniversaries taking place between 2010 and 2017. To discover more information, visit our NZHistory and Te Ara —The Encyclopedia of New Zealand websites.

Click on the following years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 to view the listings.

2010

175th of Declaration of Independence of NZ (1835)

170th of Treaty of Waitangi (1840)

150th of start of Taranaki War (1860)

120th of trans-Tasman Maritime Strike (1890)

120th of first ‘one-man, one-vote’ election (1890)

120th of first Labour Day (1890)

100th of first surf lifesaving clubs (1910)

100th of NZ Libraries Association (LIANZA) (1910)

100th of Grafton Bridge, Auckland (1910)

95th of Gallipoli campaign (1915)

70th of Battle of Britain (1940)

60th of start of Korean War (1950)

60th of first official TV broadcasts (1960)

50th of publication of Barry Crump’s A Good Keen Man (1960)

50th of NZ’s border inspection service (now MAF Biosecurity)

50th of computing in NZ – NZ Computer Society formed, six months before first computer arrived (1960)

50th of NZ Association of Women in Aviation (1960)

35th of Waitangi Tribunal (1975)

25th of Rainbow Warrior bombing (1985)

25th of Waitangi Tribunal’s right to investigate claims back to 1840 (1985)

25th of Keri Hulme’s Booker Prize win (1985)

10th of NZ’s successful defence of America’s Cup (2000)

2011

200^th anniversary of the birth of missionary printer William Colenso (1811)

150th of Tuapeka gold rush (1861)

125th of opening of Wellington & Manawatu Railway (1886)

125th of Mt Tarawera eruption (1886)

125^th of the birth of industrialist James Fletcher (1886)

120th of formation of NZ Football (i.e. soccer) Association (1891)

100th of first national referendum on prohibition, when almost 56% of New Zealanders voted for prohibition but it failed to reach 60% threshold (1911)

100^th of the birth of writer John Mulgan (Man Alone) (1911)

100^th of the death of Rotorua tourist guide Sophia Hinerangi (1911)

95th of Labour Party’s founding (1916)

95th of Battle of the Somme (1916)

80th of Hawke’s Bay earthquake (1931)

75th of Jean Batten’s UK-NZ solo flight (1936)

75th of National Party’s founding (1936)

75^th of the death of social reformer Ettie Rout (1936)

70th of battles for Greece and Crete (1941)

70th of establishment of Royal NZ Navy (1941)

70th of NZ’s worst naval disaster: loss of HMS Neptune in Mediterranean (1941)

70th of start of war with Japan (1941)

70th of seizure of Finnish sailing ship Pamir– NZ’s only ‘war prize’ (1941)

60th of waterfront dispute (1951)

50th of first Golden Shears competition (1961)

50th of peak year of post-war baby boom (1961)

50th of end of capital punishment in NZ (1961)

50th of first Golden Kiwi draw (1961)

25th of Homosexual Law Reform (1986)

25th of Constitution Act (1986)

25th of GST (1986)

25th of report of Royal Commission on Electoral System (1986)

2012

370th of Abel Tasman’s voyage to NZ (1642)

200^th of the birth of Sir George Grey (1812)

160th of NZ Constitution Act (UK) (1852)

150th of NZ’s first professional opera performance (1862)

150th of Dunstan gold rush (1862)

150^th of the birth of naturalist Herbert Guthrie-Smith (author of Tutira) (1862)

150^th of the death of Edward Gibbon Wakefield (1862)

130th of first frozen meat export (1882)

125th of gift of Tongariro mountains to Crown/Tongariro National Park (1887)

125^th of the death of explorer/scientist Julius von Haast (1887)

120th of formation of NZ Rugby Football Union (1892)

110th of NZ’s national flag (1902)

110th of end of South African (Boer) War (1902)

100th of Waihi Miners' Strike (1912)

100th of Robert Falcon Scott’s death in Antarctica (1912)

100^th of the birth of Woolf Fisher (of Fisher & Paykel) (1912)

100^th of the birth of poet Denis Glover (1912)

100^th of the death of Auckland identity John Logan Campbell (1912)

100^th of the death of Mahuta Te Wherowhero, 3^rd Māori King (1912)

95th of battles of Messines and Passchendaele (1917)

75th of establishment of RNZAF (1937)

75th of opening of first state house (1937)

75th of the death of Ernest Rutherford (1937)

75^th of the death of Rua Kenana (1937)

70th of Battle of El Alamein (1942)

70th of arrival of US troops in NZ (1942)

70th of establishment of Abel Tasman National Park (1942)

60th of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne (1952)

60th of establishment of Fiordland National Park (1952)

50th of appointment of Ombudsman in NZ (1962)

50th of introduction of first Cook Strait roll-on roll-off ferry: Aramoana (1962)

50th of Western Samoan independence (1962)

50th of NZ Māori Council (1962)

50th of Outward Bound (1962)

40th of withdrawal of last NZ personnel from Vietnam (1972)

25th of Māori becoming official language (1987)

25th of NZ winning first rugby world cup (1987)

25th of NZ’s nuclear-free status (1987)

25^th of the death of Rewi Alley (1987)

25^th of the death of Colin McCahon (1987)

2013

240th of first sheep being released in NZ (1773)

180th of James Busby’s arrival as British Resident (1833)

170th of Wairau incident (1843)

160th of NZ’s first general election (1853)

150th of NZ’s worst shipwreck: HMS Orpheus disaster (1863)

150th of invasion of Waikato (1863)

150th of NZ’s first public railway, at Ferrymead, near Christchurch (1863)

125^th of the birth of Katherine Mansfield (1888)

125^th of the death of Māori leader Riwha Titokowaru (1888)

120th of women’s suffrage (1893)

120th of first woman mayor in British Empire (1893)

100th of Great Waterfront Strike (1913)

100th of first national lawn bowls competition (1913)

100^th of the birth of Māori leader Sir Charles Bennett (1913)

100^th of the birth of aviator and Mt Cook tourist promoter Henry Wigley (1913)

95th of Armistice Day (1918)

80th of election of first woman MP: Elizabeth McCombs (1933)

75th of Social Security Act (1938)

75^th of the death of Plunket founder Sir Truby King (1938)

70th of victory in North African campaign (1943)

70th of beginning of Italian campaign (1943)

60th of Tangiwai rail disaster (1953)

60th of end of Korean War (1953)

60th of establishment of Mt Cook/Aoraki National Park (1953)

60th of Hillary’s conquest of Mt Everest (1953)

50th of golfer Bob Charles’s British Open win (1963)

50th of Massey University (1963)

50th of opening of Lynnmall, NZ’s first shopping mall (1963)

50^th of the death of Maud Basham (radio’s ‘Aunt Daisy’) (1963)

50th of the death of pioneer aviator George Bolt (1963)

50^th of the death of Sir Bernard Fryberg (1963)

50^th of the death of cartoonist David Low (1963)

30th of Closer Economic Relations (CER) with Australia (1983)

20th of decision to adopt MMP (1993)

2014

200th of first mission station in NZ: Samuel Marsden (1814)

125^th of the birth of Sir Bernard Fryberg (1889)

125^th of the birth of physicist Ernest Marsden (1889)

180th of NZ’s first flag (1834)

160th of opening of NZ’s first Parliament (1854)

150th of battles of Orakau and Gate Pa (1864)

120th of Industrial Conciliation & Arbitration Act (1894)

120th of Land for Settlements Act (1894)

120th of first ascent of Mt Cook (1894)

115th of start of South African (Boer) War (1899)

100th of outbreak of WW1 and NZ occupation of German Samoa (1914)

100th of IPENZ – Institution of Professional Engineers NZ (1914)

75th of outbreak of WW2 (1939)

75th of Battle of River Plate (1939)

75^th of Merchant Navy Day (1939)

75th of opening of NZ Centennial Exhibition (1939)

75th of publishing of NZ Listener magazine (1939)

75^th of the death of T. W. Ratana (1939)

75^th of the death of Robin Hyde (1939)

70th of battle for Cassino, Italy (1944)

70th of D-Day – i.e., NZ involvement via RAF/Royal Navy/Merchant Navy (1944)>

70th of signing of Canberra Pact with Australia (1944)

60th of establishment of Te Urewera National Park (1954)

50th of Beatles’ NZ tour (1964)

50th of opening of Marsden Point refinery (1964)

50th of Christchurch-Lyttelton road tunnel (1964)

50th of establishment of Mt Aspiring National Park (1964)

40th of Waitangi Day as public holiday (1974)

2015

180th of Declaration of Independence of NZ (1835)

175th of Treaty of Waitangi (1840)

170th of start of Northern War (1845)

150th of capital moving to Wellington (1865)

125^th of the death of labour reformer Samuel Duncan Parnell (1890)

100th of Gallipoli campaign (1915)

100^th of the death of tennis champion Anthony Wilding (1915)

100^TH of the death of Lieutenant-Colonel William Malone at Gallipoli (1915)

75^th of the death of Michael Joseph Savage (1940)

75th of the death of naturalist Herbert Guthrie-Smith (author of Tutira) (1940)

70th of NZ troops’ advance to Trieste, Italy (1945)

70th of end of WW2, VE day and VJ day (1945)

50th of Rolling Stones’ NZ tour (1965)

50th of Air New Zealand (previously TEAL) (1965)

50th of NZ commitment of combat troops to Vietnam (1965)

50th of Waikato University (1965)

50th of signing of NAFTA (New Zealand Australia Free Trade Agreement) – forerunner of CER (1965)

50th of Cook Islands self government (1965)

50th of Benmore hydroelectric scheme (1965)

50^th of the National Library of New Zealand which brought together the Alexander Turnbull Library and the National Library Service

20th of Cave Creek disaster (1995)

20th of NZ’s America’s Cup win (1995)

2016

225th of sighting of Chatham Islands by RN vessel Chatham (1791)

200th of NZ's first school (1816)

175th of NZ becoming a separate crown colony (1841)

150th of first Cook Strait submarine cable (1866)

150^th of Aliens Act enabling naturalization of non-Britons (1866)

150th of NZ's first oil well, at New Plymouth (1866)

125th of Bob Fitzsimmons winning world middleweight boxing title (1891)

125^th of first single-party government (Liberals) (1891)

125^th of Factories Act and Bureau of Industries (forerunner of Department of Labour) (1891)

100th of founding of RNZRSA (originally the RSA) (1916)

100th of arrest of Rua Kenana at Maungapohatu (1916)

100th of Battle of Somme (1916)

100^th of introduction of conscription (1916)

100^th of Lake Coleridge hydroelectric scheme (1916)

100th of film censorship (1916)

100th of founding of NZ Labour Party (NZ’s oldest existing political party) (1916)

100^th of the birth of arts advocate Fred Turnovsky (1916)

75th of battles of Greece, Crete and Operation Crusader (North Africa) (1941)

75th of founding of Royal NZ Navy (1941)

75th of declaration of war with Japan (1941)

75^th of Māori War Effort Organisation (1941)

75th of Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act (1941)

75th of first playcentres (1941)

75th of National Council of Churches (1941)

75th of National Film Unit (1941)

50th of launch of Country Calendar (1966)

50^th of the death of Māori King Koroki (1966)

50th of coronation of first Māori queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu (1966)

50th of launch of Radio Hauraki (1966)

50^th of Mangere International Airport (1966)

50th of first visit by US President Lyndon Baines Johnson (1966)

50th of implementation of NZ-Australia Free Trade Agreement (1966)

50th of McLintock's Encyclopaedia of NZ (1966)

50^th of the death of scientist Alfred Cockayne (1966)

25th of Resource Management Act (1991)

25th of Employment Contracts Act (1991)

25^th of New Zealand participation in (First) Gulf War (1991)

2017

50^th anniversary of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists (1967).