New Zealand’s 100th Dominion Day
26 September 2007

UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne has acknowledged the 100th anniversary of New Zealand’s attaining Dominion status in 1907.

Mr Dunne, who is campaigning for New Zealand to establish a New Zealand National Day separate from Waitangi Day, says many people had suggested to him that Dominion Day could be recast as New Zealand Day.

“Dominion Day can be viewed as the day when New Zealand began its move away from its colonial past to the independent nation it has become today.

“In that regard, it does have some claim to be New Zealand’s National Day.

“As a republican, though, I personally have doubts about the desirability of celebrating the day we went from being a British colony to a British Dominion as our National Day.

“I think we could do better than that.

“I personally favour replacing the current Queen’s Birthday observance with a National Day, but the most innovative suggestion I have received so far is we make May 29, the day Sir Edmund Hillary conquered Mt Everest our National Day," said Mr Dunne.