Dominion Day in New Zealand

Dominion Day is the name given to 26 September, the anniversary of the day New Zealand was granted dominion status within the British Empire in 1907. Elder Dominion Canada, which achieved similar status in 1867, looks on affectionately as a kind of older brother: "Rather large for him, is it not?" Fellow brother Australia snarks: "Oh, his head is swelling rapidly. The hat will soon fit!"

No longer a statutory (bank) holiday, the only current official observance of the day is as a Provincial Anniversary Day in South Canterbury. There is support in some quarters for the day to be revived as an alternative New Zealand Day, instead of renaming Waitangi Day, New Zealand's current national day.