Kiwi Christmas

Christmas in New Zealand is less about snow and sleigh bells and more about sun, sand and barbecues in the backyard. We've provided a range of stories that showcase some of the quirkier aspects of Kiwi Christmases past and present. You can also test yourself on our Kiwi Christmas quiz.

Christmas comes to New Zealand

In 1642, Abel Tasman's crew celebrated the first Christmas dinner in New Zealand – freshly killed pork from the ship's menagerie washed down with 'extra rations of wine'. In 1769 James Cook's crew marked the occasion by feasting on ‘Goose pye’ (made with gannet). more...

The first sermon?

The Christmas Day service given by Church Missionary Society representative Samuel Marsden at Oihi Bay in the Bay of Islands in 1814 is often cited as the first in New Zealand, but did a French priest travelling with Jean François Marie de Surville in 1769 beat him to it? more...

New Zealand's Christmas tree

The beautiful pohutukawa is regarded as New Zealand’s iconic Christmas tree. The pohutukawa also holds a prominent place in Maori culture: an 800-year-old tree clinging to the cliffs of Cape Reinga is reputed to guard the entrance to a sacred cave through which spirits pass on their way to the next world. more...

Santa parades

Santa or Christmas parades take place throughout New Zealand in November or December each year. They began in the main centres in the early 1900s. They were established by department stores to promote the arrival of in-store Santas, with the clear aim of drawing customers directly into their stores. more...

'Sticky Beak the kiwi'

Many traditional Christmas songs have been adapted for a New Zealand audience and conditions. One of the most popular New Zealand Christmas songs of the 1960s was 'Sticky Beak the kiwi' – read the lyrics and listen to the song (a Web first recording?). more...

Santa goes to the Chathams

When Santa Claus visited the remote Chatham Islands in 1951 he swapped his reindeer for a TEAL Solent flying boat. More than 400 of the islands’ 500 inhabitants cheered him wildly as he stepped ashore from a launch in Te Whanga Lagoon with a huge sack of toys over his shoulder. more...

Politically incorrect Christmas games 

Before the time of computers and mass television people played all sorts of games around Christmas time. Some of these games, such as the ‘Light the cigarette race’ and 'The Slave Market', haven’t stood the test of time very well. more...

Kiwi Christmas cards

Historic Christmas cards combine colourful imagery with reflections on contemporary events, such as overseas wars. Familiar New Zealand symbols – tattooed Maori figures, kiwi, tiki and ferns – add a distinctively local flavour to traditional Christmas greetings and imagery. more...

Summer holidays

Come late December and thousands of Kiwis get ready for their annual holidays. They look forward to lazy days at the beach or the bach (or crib), games of backyard cricket, food on the barbie and the holiday uniform of shorts, jandals and T-shirts. more...

Claus in stores

Santa Claus made his commercial debut in New Zealand in 1894 when he took his place, complete with tree and toys, among the furniture in the Wellington DIC store on Lambton Quay. These days, children have the option of sending Santa an email with suggestions about preferred presents. more...

Christmas in wartime

Christmas during wartime gave soldiers a rare opportunity to relax and enjoy themselves away from the stresses and hardships of combat. It was also a time of sadness for many New Zealanders, both overseas and back home, as they thought of their absent family, lovers and friends far away. more...

A day off for Christmas

It's hard for most of us today to imagine Christmas Day not being a holiday, but a day off on 25 December hasn't always been a legal entitlement. An 1841 newspaper for 25 December doesn't even mention Christmas, and the day only became a formal public holiday in 1910. more...

Auckland's giant Santa

In 1960 Farmers erected a giant Santa on their Hobson Street department store in Auckland. He appeared above the store each Christmas for almost 30 years. He left Auckland's CBD in 1990, but was restored above Whitcoulls' store on Queen Street in 1998. more...

Kiwis' attitude to Christmas

In a 2006 survey, Reader's Digest asked a representative sample of 259 New Zealanders ‘Just what does Christmas mean to New Zealanders in 2006 – and what do we treasure most?’ The results show that dinner with the family is still important to Kiwis, but the Queen's message is losing relevance. more...