Nelson Anniversary Day – February 3, 2025

History of Nelson Anniversary Day

The history of Nelson can be traced to the 12th century, when its first inhabitants, the Māori people, settled in the region. The Māori occupied the Nelson-Marlborough regions, also known as ‘Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Maui,’ quarrying argillite and developing areas around the region. In the early 1600s, a section of the Māori tribe, the ‘Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri,’ launched warfare against other sections of the tribe, becoming the dominant tribe. But their dominance lasted until the early 1800s when a northern tribe led by ‘Te Rauparaha’ destroyed the local population and occupied the area.

In January 1770, the British, led by Captain James Cook, undertook a voyage to New Zealand, where they explored the Nelson region. During the expedition, Captain Cook named the sea between the North and South Island ‘Cook Strait,’ and the places on the land, Queen Charlotte Sound and Ship Cove. The latter became their landing port for their subsequent expeditions to New Zealand in 1773 and 1777. In May 1840, the British signed a treaty with the Ngāi Tahu chiefs, after which they claimed possession of the entire South Island.

After founding its settlement at Wellington, the New Zealand Company began looking for more arable land to occupy. The Company sent out three ships to survey the upper South Island for a suitable area for a new settlement called Nelson. Arriving at the Kapiti coast, the New Zealand Company representatives negotiated and purchased land from ‘Te Rauparaha.’ On November 1, 1841, the first settlers were shipped off to Nelson. On September 17, 1841, Fifeshire, carrying the first immigrants from Europe, set sail from London. It arrived in Nelson on February 1, 1842, having lost more than a dozen of its passengers. The arrival of the European immigrants marked the beginning of the annual commemoration of Nelson Anniversary Day.