Auckland Anniversary Weekend is a popular time for many in the Bay of Plenty to enjoy a day off at the beach. Photo/file
Auckland Anniversary Weekend is a popular time for many in the Bay of Plenty to enjoy a day off at the beach. Photo/file
The question of whether the Bay of Plenty should celebrate its own anniversary weekend has been met with mixed reaction from the region's leaders and community.
Auckland Anniversary Day is observed in Bay of Plenty, Northland, Coromandel, Gisborne and the East Coast.
Some of the region's mayors were asked if they thought the Bay of Plenty should have its own anniversary weekend, considering both Tauranga and Rotorua were expanding rapidly.
Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Garry Webber said his view was very much in line with the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless says he has mixed feelings about the Bay of Plenty celebrating its own anniversary weekend. Photo/file
"New Zealand is a pretty small country and I think it works pretty well when our anniversary weekend is shared with Waikato and Auckland together. We are kindred regions and that allows family and friends to get together across the regions."I know when you are in an area elsewhere in New Zealand and your own family and friends can't get together because their region has different anniversary weekends," Mr Webber said.
"Whether you call it a Northland, Waikato or Bay of Plenty anniversary weekend, I don't think it really matters a lot. Everybody recognises what it is and pretty much makes it their own."
Tauranga City mayor Greg Brownless said he had mixed feelings about the idea.
"I guess for families you want to get together so we'd have different days off than people in Auckland - we are all so close together I don't see the point," he said.
"If we were to, I would tend to have the one anniversary for the whole country, because now we have Wellington with a different day, a different day for Otago and a different day for Auckland.
"I'd be more interested in having them on the same day," Mr Brownless said.
Whakatane mayor Tony Bonne said he was easy either way.
Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Garry Webber says being able to share a holiday with neighbouring regions is a good thing.
"We don't need a different day, but if we call it Bay of Plenty anniversary weekend, I would not mind."
But, he said, with regard to the regional economy, "we'd be mad to change the day as a huge amount of Aucklanders come down for the weekend, because they want to get out of that crazy place and spend time in the best part of the country".
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said Aucklanders came to Rotorua for the weekend and had a great time, "this is a place where people come and make a great long weekend of it".
"I've never heard anyone mention it or do it. Our focus right now is get back into Easter trading, so I don't think it's needed.
"But this story could stimulate some conversation about it," she said.
New Zealand regions that celebrate their own anniversary weekend and when
Auckland - January 29, or the nearest Monday to that date.
We asked readers online for their thoughts on adopting a Bay of Plenty Anniversary Day. Here are some of their responses:
Toni Fisher "I was actually talking about this very thing with my husband yesterday! The Bay Of Plenty needs it's own for sure!!" Richard Burgess "It's probably best to keep public holidays the same considering how much Tauranga relies on tourism. Could still change the name though." Kim Emmerson "Definitely, we are not Auckland." Quinn Bougen "I don't think BOP should have one. Be unique and share all of them .... Auckland, Northland, Southland, Wellington etc." Tim Drinkwater "Def get our own one. We still get the tourism when Auckland have theirs. Only difference is the campgrounds won't be full of Jafas when we have ours." Maree Mcroberts "This has been debated since I moved here 34 years ago... and yes we should." Fiona Saunders "Yep - later on in the year, when work drags and we have no holidays! Lol"
