Two petitions which collectively gathered 30,000 signatures for a Matariki public holiday are to be presented to parliament tomorrow by Kiritapu Allan MP. Separate petitions by New Zealand Republic and Action Station collected 3,667 and 26,348 signatures respectively.

A new opinion poll finds few New Zealanders can name the Queen as head of state, with most thinking the Governor-General is our head of state. The poll of 1,000 voting-age New Zealanders, taken in May 2020, asked: “Can you please tell me who is New Zealand’s Head of State?”

The Queen’s Birthday public holiday is irrelevant to modern-day Aotearoa. There are plenty of better alternatives.