GORDON LIGHTFOOT | Culture
DO BETTER
In a country that claims to care about progress, the nation’s June long weekend is still being relentlessly misgendered — and advocates say it’s time we stopped deadnaming public holidays.
Despite being officially renamed King’s Birthday Weekend after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, a shocking number of New Zealanders continue to refer to the public holiday using outdated terminology — an act described by holiday rights campaigners as “calendar-based violence”.
“Every time someone says ‘Queen’s Birthday’, they are erasing the lived experience of this proud, monarchically male-identifying holiday,” said Tina Rakete, spokesperson for the Aotearoa Public Holiday Affirmation Group (APHAG).
“We don’t call Labour Day ‘Sir Michael Joseph Savage’s Rest Day’. We’ve moved on. We’ve evolved. It’s time to stop misgendering the long weekend.”
Another advocate from the Wellington-based Centre for Inclusive Observances, says the holiday itself has made its identity clear.
“It’s 2025. We need to evolve,” said Devon-Jean Fairfax (they/she/ia). “Referring to the holiday as ‘Queen’s Birthday’ is not only factually incorrect, it’s violently nostalgic for a time when we celebrated colonial matriarchy instead of today’s modern, inclusive monarchy. Honestly it’s giving deadname vibes.”
Reports from across the motu suggest that even well-meaning dads at Bunnings, school principals, and mid-tier government managers are continuing to call the June long weekend by its “colonial and outdated name”. Some have even said it’s “just a habit” or that it “doesn’t really matter”.
Advocates have begun a social media campaign with the hashtag #SayHisName, encouraging New Zealanders to respect the holiday’s chosen title and to be better allies to gendered time-off events across the country.
Meanwhile, everyday Kiwis continue to tell friends they’re looking forward to “Queen’s Birthday,” despite being corrected by their more socially conscious friends.
“Honestly, it’s 2025,” said Rakete. “If you’re still saying ‘Queen’s Birthday’, you’re part of the problem.”
More to come.
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