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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has pledged to make Maori New Year (Matariki) the first new public holiday in the nation’s public calendar in almost 50 years if Labor wins the upcoming 2020 election.
“This is about acknowledging who we are as a nation,” she said.
Coalition partner New Zealand First rejected the idea with Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, arguing it would place undue strain on employers – a view shared by the opposition National party.
However, tourism operators are pleased by the prospect, with Redwoods Treewalk Co-founder Bruce Thomasen saying he would see a “300 per cent lift in turnover over the Saturday, Sunday and the Monday”.
The public holiday would not be introduced until 2022 to give businesses enough time to plan.
