Using the feature Dominion status, complete the following activities that examine how Dominion Day was initially celebrated (or not):
- How did the government celebrate the first Dominion Day in 1907?
- What evidence was there that not all New Zealanders shared the government’s enthusiasm for Dominion Day?
- Imagine you are a reporter for the newly launched Dominion newspaper. You are writing an account of the Dominion Day celebrations in Wellington that will be offered to other newspapers in New Zealand. In no more than 200 words, you are to provide an overview of the day’s events as well as coverage of the proclamation from the steps of Parliament.
- In the end, Dominion Day did not catch on as a day of celebration for New Zealanders, and it quickly fizzled out as an occasion. In a paragraph of between six and eight sentences, explain why the whole notion of Dominion Day failed to capture the attention of New Zealanders.
- Richard Long, writing in the Dominion Post on 25 September 2007, argued that Dominion Day should replace Waitangi Day as New Zealand's national day. He maintained that Waitangi Day was too divisive and celebrations are constantly overshadowed by protest and grievance. What do you think? Does Long have a point? Write a letter to the editor of the Dominion Post in support of or opposition to Long's statement.
