I’ve always believed that public holidays should be mandatory.
I think that it is incredibly important for the fabric of our society for us all to put down tools as citizens on specific days and all of us venture out into our amazing public spaces and be friendly with one another.
The importance of our civility in public towards each other, the importance of being tolerant while sharing the same space and the importance to actually stop working and enjoy doing nothing but spend time with our family, friends and whanau would do more to building that sense of nationhood that we are always jealously eyeing Australia up for than any other thing.
As citizens, we have earned the right to have days off, and we need to hold onto this right and understand it is the universal application that is so important. It’s the need to share our beaches and out door spaces together on these days that builds bonds between families and groups of people who would never otherwise meet in their busy 9-5, 5-9 plus the odd late shift lives.
For those public servants forced to work while the rest of us play, the media should be full of ‘spare a thought for’ type stories so that our public servants who must continue to staff essential services while the rest of us relax are given the respect and admiration they deserve for their selfless functions.
I would even go as far as demanding a new holiday – New Zealand Volunteers day. The idea being that there is one day a year we all universally have off to help volunteer in society all on the same day. It could be a mass planting, or cleaning up, or helping reach out to the elderly or migrant communities or anyone whose a bit different so we can all feel included.
I would also suggest that we make the date of the election a Wednesday and also make it a public holiday. We bitch so much in this country about not having a day we can celebrate as NZers because Pakeha feel so guilty about Waitangi Day, so why not search for that which binds us and celebrate that? Election Day should be a celebration because we are one of the few privileged countries around the planet that allows political leadership to change minus violence and repression. Our exercising of the right to vote peacefully is celebration in itself and making it a mid week public holiday would do more for participation rates than easily hacked online voting.
That sense of self identity and nationhood that we always whine about not being present during Waitangi Day takes effort and can’t simply be left up to the ‘free market’. The space where that national identity can take shape has to be universally applied in the form of mandatory public holidays and not left to be traded in by unscrupulous employers who if given half a chance would make ‘Hi Ho, hi ho, it’s off to work we go’ the new National anthem.
The thousands of different interactions generated by us all respectfully sharing the same space together on set days would do more for our understanding of each other than a million cartoons by Al Nisbet ever could.
What is the point of being a citizen in a democracy if we can’t enjoy the leisure of spending time outside in this glorious country? Are we really all wage slaves? Is that what a modern democracy has been denigrated too?
‘I have a dream to work every hour of the day by a boss who is screwing me over’ isn’t particularly inspirational is it?
“We bitch so much in this country about not having a day we can celebrate as NZers”
that one always makes me laugh – some are too busy complaining about it to stop and notice they are contributing in a negative way themselves.
waitangi day is what you, yourself, make of it
1) dont like maori activists? then dont give them power of you by getting upset.
2) Open your eyes and realise the media has a profit motive in promoting the tiny bit of disharmony that occurs on the day.
3) Even better – get off you bum and go to waitangi and see for yourself whats actually happening
4) understand that theres many things that appear quite different when you understand a little bit of marae protocol
“then dont give them power of you by getting upset.”
that should read “power OVER you”
Really good piece, Martin, some good ideas for change, too.
On the subject of public holidays, where does one go to suggest new thoughts? My pet scheme is to link several things together, thus:
Make Matariki a (Mondayised or Fridayised) public holiday. It will be close to Queen’s B-day, I know, but sometime there will have to be a King’s B-day, and probably not the same date.
Change the firework regulations to that weekend from Guy Fawkes night. Advantages include:
1) it becomes a NZ day, not old Brit history based on Catholic-Protestant strife, incidentally one associated with stars, ie lights in the sky.
2) it gets dark earlier, so kids can more easily enjoy the fun. (In Britain November 5th is winter)
3) being further from summer the Fire Service may have it easier.
4) it spreads the fun out in the year – what with Hallowe-en, Thanksgiving and the onset of Christmas the calendar is a little full already.
What we need to do is establish and maintain a form of government that can actually represent the people of our country! If there is anything in the way of that happening, it must be got rid of, by any means.
Great post about the time we should have so spend together.
There is another dimension to this however: having the space.
There is a bit of a lack of useful public space in most of the cities of NZ.
What is useful public space? I watched “The Human Scale” documentary recently. Look it up and watch it, I highly recommend. It will give you an idea of what useful public space is like. Space for people, not for cars.
Yep, I totally support this, and even if it means having Queen’s Birthday, and some public holidays that I may question, we must go back to bring in some social “cohesion”, some “events” also, and the best way to do this is by giving days off to ALL, workers, employers, office holders, professionals and what we have!
Nowadays we have little if any social interaction and cohesion, apart from shift “enders” and “starters” meeting at the flat now and then, hubby and wife meeting where work permits, and some enjoying employment contracts that may allow for days off with others, but others (mostly retail workers, transport workers, police, medical and sundry other staff) are struggling to find days to spend with partners or family.
What a healthier society we had a few decades ago, where days off meant days off, where we met, visited at commonly free times, socialised and shared together, talked, spent time playing games or whatever, all at the same time on the same days.
I also would like to restore Sundays to being days off for family and other purposes, not so much “church going”, but people must have that freedom.
Social cohesion, sharing and entertainment events for all, that makes for social and other health, and for a better functioning, healthier, cohesive society. It is time we give this some very serious thought!
I support a suggestion that has been previously proposed of an annual “New Zealand Day” holiday. And that the New Years Honours and Queens Birthday Honours be consolidated into a single set of annual awards, limited ot deserving folk. I also believe that shops should be closed all day on ANZAC Day, and on Sundays.
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