Canterbury Anniversary Day 2023: Date, History, 5 Facts About Canterbury

The pilgrims employed a route known as the Canterbury trot in order to reach the city of Canterbury prior to the nocturnal prohibition.

Canterbury Anniversary Day 2023: Canterbury Anniversary Day is observed as a national holiday in New Zealand every second Friday following the initial Tuesday of November. It occurs this year on November 17. Initially observed on December 16, 1850, the day commemorated the advent of the initial of four English ships. The date was moved to the second Friday following the initial Tuesday of November in order to align with Christchurch Show Day. This day marks the establishment of the Canterbury Region, and while activities are conducted throughout the region, the majority of the festivities occur in Christchurch.

Canterbury Anniversary Day 2023: History

Human activity in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand dates back to the 10th century, when the Mori first settled there. It is believed that the Moa-hunters were the initial occupants of Canterbury. Europeans, who arrived in the early 19th century armed with muskets and other implements, initiated trade with indigenous groups. After the 1830s, the number of Europeans and individuals of other nationalities residing in Canterbury began to rise. Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a British nobleman, and John Robert Godley, an Anglo-Irish aristocracy, founded the Canterbury Association in 1848 with the intention of establishing an Anglican colony on the South Island.

April 1850 saw the arrival of a preparatory party at Port Cooper, commanded by Godley. This group constructed a port, houses, and shops in anticipation of the arrival of the main body of settlers. In December 1850, the initial cohort of 750 immigrants arrived in Lyttelton via a fleet of four vessels. Canterbury Province was founded in 1853, following the passage of the Constitution Act of 1852 in New Zealand.

Canterbury Province was dissolved on November 1, 1876, along with the remaining provinces of New Zealand, per the Abolition of the Provinces Act. The northern region of the new Canterbury Region, which incorporates some districts from the ancient Nelson Province, has boundaries that are marginally different. During nationwide local government reforms in 1989, what is now Canterbury was established. Following the 1992 dissolution of the Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council, the Kaikoura District was incorporated into the region.

Christchurch Show Day 2023: Date, History, 5 Facts About Christchurch and Canterbury