List of unofficial observances in New Zealand explained
Apart from the public holidays in New Zealand, usually celebrated by a paid day off work, there are a number of unofficial observances in New Zealand that are celebrated for days, weeks or months. Most of these are international in nature. They range from established traditions of major world religions to spoofs such as Talk Like A Pirate Day.
Weeks
Many of these national weeks change from year to year.
- Sea Week, 27 Feb–6 March [1]
- Multiples Awareness Week, 28 Feb–6 March [2]
- Global Public Health Week, 3–7 April 2023[3]
- Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Week, from 1 May[4]
- Rotuman Language Week, 7–13 May[5]
- New Zealand Sign Language Week, from 2 May
- National Organic Week - 1-7 May
- Youth Week, 21–29 May
- Samoan Language Week, 30 May–5 June
- Coeliac Awareness Week, 18–24 June
- NZ Volunteering Week 19–25 June 2016[6]
- Kiribati Language Week, 9–15 July
- Cook Islands Language Week, 30 July–5 August
- Rail Safety Week, August
- New Zealand Islam Awareness, from 2 August
- New Zealand Fashion Week 29 August – 2 September [7]
- Tongan language Week, 3–9 September
- Child Safeguarding Week 2–8 September 2024
- Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week), in the week which includes 14 September.
- New Zealand Conservation Week, 10–18 September[8]
- National Clean Up Week 17–24 September[9]
- Mental Health Awareness Week, late September[10]
- New Zealand Chinese Language Week, typically the third or fourth week of September
- Tuvalu Language Week, 1–7 October
- Fijian Language Week, 8–14 October
- Niue Language Week, 15–21 October
- Tokelau Language Week, 22–28 October
- Grandparents Week from 27 October–1 November [11]
- Get Outdoors Week 16–24 November
- Fraud Awareness Week, third week of November [12]
- Sleep Awareness Week [13]
- Cloth Nappy Week April[14] [15]
- Rail Safety Week
- NZ Flowers Week
Months
- Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month 1–28 February[16]
- New Zealand Bike to Work month – February
- Endometriosis Awareness Month – March
- NZ Music Month – May
- Pride Month - June
- Migraine Awareness Month – June
- NZ Book Month September from 2006 to 2008, October in 2009, March from 2011 to 2013 and August in 2014;[17] not held in 2015[18]
- Sorted Money Month – August
- Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month 1–30 September[19]
- Movember Month – November
Notes and References
- Web site: Seaweek, New Zealand's annual national week about the sea . 5 June 2017 . Seaweek.org.nz.
- Web site: Multiples Awareness Week . 25 February 2023 . Multiples NZ . 5 April 2023.
- Web site: Global Public Health Week | WFPHA .
- Web site: Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Week 2023 . Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa . 22 February 2023.
- Web site: 20 September 2023 . Pacific Language Weeks 2023 . Ministry for Pacific Peoples.
- Web site: 30 October 2016 . National Volunteer Week 2017 – Volunteering New Zealand . 5 June 2017 . Volunteeringnz.org.nz.
- Web site: Home . 5 June 2017 . New Zealand Fashion Week.
- Web site: (DOC) . corporatename = New Zealand Department of Conservation . Conservation Week 14–22 October 2017 . 5 June 2017 . Conservationweek.org.nz.
- Web site: Home » Clean up Week 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100920080901/http://nationalcleanupweek.knzb.org.nz/ . 20 September 2010 . 18 September 2010.
- Web site: The Mental Health Foundation organises New Zealand's annual Mental Health Awareness Week under contract from the Ministry of Health. mentalhealth.org. nz. 28 May 2019.
- Web site: National Grandparents Week Enters Second Year . Scoop . 1 October 2003 . 27 November 2021.
- Web site: Fraud Awareness Week . Serious Fraud Office . 14 November 2023.
- Web site: Sleep Awareness Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20190418040536/https://www.sleepoz.org.au/events/sleep-awareness-week . 18 April 2019 .
- Web site: 30 April 2023 . Cloth Nappy Week 2023 – Cloth Nappy Week – New Zealand . 3 July 2023 . Clothnappyweek.nz.
- Web site: 10 February 2021 . Cloth Nappy week 2021 .
- Web site: Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Help Stop Women Dying Too Young . 27 November 2021.
- Web site: New Zealand Book Month . . 18 March 2016.
- Web site: NZ Book Month Announcement . Booksellers New Zealand . 30 April 2015 . 18 March 2016.
- Web site: New Zealand Gynaecological Cancer Month . 30 August 2021 . 27 November 2021.