The Central App takes a look at the public holiday we all know as Queen’s Birthday.

Whether you’re a fan of the monarchy, waiting on ski fields to open, riding to the Brass Monkey, checking out the sales or just love a winter break, Queen’s Birthday is an official celebration for all Kiwis.

The Queen’s Birthday is celebrated each year in Aotearoa as a public holiday on the first Monday in June, even though Queen Elizabeth II was born on 21 April 1926.

For over a hundred years, the birthday of the reigning King or Queen has been celebrated each year in June, both in Britain and New Zealand. 

New Zealand’s form of government is known as a constitutional monarchy. The signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840 made the British sovereign New Zealand’s head of state. Queen Elizabeth is recognised as Kuini o Aotearoa, Queen of New Zealand. As New Zealand is independent from Britain, the Queen role however, is more of an executive role.

The role of the British monarchy is a recurring topic of discussion amongst New Zealanders.

Since the Queen lives in the United Kingdom, most of the royal constitutional and ceremonial duties, such as presenting Honours, are carried out by her official representative here - the Governor-General. 

On the official Queen’s Birthday, the Queen’s Birthday Honours List is released.

The New Zealand Royal Honours system is unique to us. Honours are administered by the Honours Unit, part of the Cabinet Office. The final honours lists each year are approved by the Queen on the Prime Minister’s advice.

Buckingham Palace released this photo of the Queen on Instagram, marking her 95th birthday.

In a 1995 report, the Prime Minister’s Honours Advisory committee stated:

“Our honours system is a way for New Zealand to say thanks and well done to those who have served and those who have achieved. We believe that such recognition is consistent with the egalitarian character of New Zealand society and enlivens and enriches it.”

Questions have been raised in recent years on whether Matariki should replace the Queen’s Birthday as a public holiday, with many views aired on both sides of the debate.

In February this year, the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Ngā Mata o te Ariki, more commonly known as Matariki, would be celebrated annually beginning in 2022.

“Matariki will be a distinctly New Zealand holiday,” she said at the time. 

“A time for reflection and celebration, and our first public holiday that recognises Te Ao Māori.”

Matariki is a cluster of stars (also known by its Greek name Pleiades) that rises in mid-winter, marking the start of the Māori New Year.

“The reappearance of the Matariki stars in our sky each year marks the beginning of a new year, and in recent years has become a time of celebration not just for Māori, but for many people across Aotearoa,” Māori Crown Relations Te Arawhiti Minister Kelvin Davis said.

Whatever you’re planning, enjoy your Queen’s Birthday weekend this year. Check out our What's On Guide for some ideas and inspiration!

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