Public Holidays – Ara Library Blog

ANZAC Day 25 April

Blog contributed by Linda Hepburn, Learning and Disability Advisor

Originally observed to mark the Gallipoli landings, ANZAC Day has been a focal point for remembrance since its inception in 1916. A public holiday means communities can take the time to stop and reflect on the sacrifice of generations of armed forces personnel who have served their country.

Check out the links for events and services being held in Oamaru, Timaru, Ashburton and Christchurch. They’re a great chance to learn more about some of the conflicts that have involved New Zealanders.

One familiar part of any ANZAC ceremony is The Ode – part of a Laurence Binyon poem called “For the Fallen”. Click on the link to see both the Te Reo and English versions, plus a version for the 28^th Māori Battalion and special preludes for the Merchant Navy.

To listen to the ode in both Te Reo and English and hear the haunting Last Post, check out the above link from Brass Whanganui.

Please remember that all Ara campuses will be closed on Thursday for Anzac Day.

Matariki – 14 July 2023

Image: Wikimedia commons CC-by-2.5

This year we celebrate our second Matariki public holiday welcoming in the Māori New Year.

The celebration of Matariki is guided by three major principles:

Remembrance – Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki
Celebrating the present – Gathering together to give thanks for what we have
Looking to the future – Looking forward to the promise of a new year

Here are nine short videos by Ara / Te Pūkenga kaiako, that explain the significance of each of the whetū Matariki.

And the other 8 stars of Matariki are Pōhutukawa; Ururangi; Waipuna-ā-rangi; Waitī; Waitā; Tupu-ā-nuku; Tupu-ā-rangi; Hiwa-i-te-rangi.

To help you remember them all you can learn the Matariki macarena and create some Matariki star bunting to put on your wall.

Find out more about Matariki in our subject guide page dedicated to this occasion.

Mānawa maiea te putanga o Matariki

Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi

Mānawa maiea te mātahi o te tau

Welcome the rising of Matariki

Welcome the rising of the lord of the sky

Welcome the New Year

King’s Birthday celebration 2023

Monday the 5th June is the first official King’s Birthday celebration.

King Charles III, head of state of New Zealand

This is the first King’s Birthday Weekend since the ascension of King Charles III to the throne. It was decided in 2022 to keep the first Monday in June as a day of celebration of the sovereign. Previously this day was Queens Birthday Weekend so it is going to take some time to get used to the new name.

King Charles III’s birthday is actually on 14th November…he was born in 1948 so he is currently 74 years old.

All branches of the Ara Library will be closed for the day and our normal hours of operation will recommence on Tuesday 6th June at 7 am. From all of us here at Ara Library we wish you a peaceful and productive long weekend and we look forward to seeing you when we reopen.

Jonathan Moake

Library Assistant

ANZAC Day 2023

All ARA Libraries will be closed on Tuesday the 25th April for the 2023 ANZAC Day commemoration. We will reopen on Wednesday 26th April at 7 am.

Originally a day to remember the losses from the Gallipoli Campaign during the Great War (1914-1919) ANZAC Day has gradually taken on a wider focus around those who have and continue to serve in our armed forces.

The landing at Anzac; April 25th, 1915, by Charles Dixon,1915. Alexander Turnbull Library. D-017-010

At this time there are over 50 000 veterans who have served in such campaigns as the Korean and Vietnam War, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. There are also many more who have served in peacekeeping missions around the world and those who may have served for many years but not deployed overseas.

My medal rack for service in the MFO, Sinai Peninsula in the 1990’s

FYI: here is a diagram showing the correct place to wear medals if you are thinking of wearing yours or a relatives this ANZAC Day. Note that a relative’s medal set should be worn on the right hand side of your body…people often get this wrong.

From all of us here at Ara Library and we wish you a pleasant and peacefully ANZAC Day holiday.

Ara Library open for business in 2023

We just wanted to let you know that the Library at Madras Campus is open for business for the new year.

We have returned from our Christmas break and will be open from 8 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday from now until the end of January. The library spaces at Manawa and Timaru will reopen later this month.

Come in and see us as you prepare for study in 2023.

Cheers

Library Hours over the Summer

We are slowly getting closer to the end of the academic year and with the end of study we will have some changes to our opening hours.

Here are our hours of operation from December 2022 through February 2023:

We will be closed from 24th December to 9th January in line with the rest of the Institute. For all of January 2023 we will only open from 8am to 5 pm Monday to Friday. Our term time hours will resume from Tuesday 7th February 2023.

Please note that all of our online resources will remain available right through this period.

Library hours for Canterbury Anniversary Day 2023

The Library at Madras, Manawa and Woolston Campus will be closed on Friday the 17th November for Canterbury Anniversary Day. We will reopen at 10 am on Saturday 18th November.

Also known as Show Day this holiday celebrates the establishment of Canterbury as a province of New Zealand.

The annual Agricultural Exhibition held at the show grounds in Hillmorton will go ahead this year after being cancelled for the last two years. In 2019 over 100 000 people visited the Show over its three days.

It will be good to see its return!

The weather over Show Weekend is usually fine so some sort of outdoor activity is always a good alternate. Picnics, barbeques, camping, tramping, beach walks and family get togethers are other options…

Why not walk to one of the Canterbury Foothill peaks…?

From all of us here at Ara Library we wish you a very happy Anniversary Weekend.

Opening hours over Labour Weekend

The Library will be closed on Monday 24th October for the Labour Day Holiday.

Labour Day commemorates the eight-hour working day initiated by the labour union movement over a century ago. It is celebrated on the fourth Monday in October.

The ‘eight-hour day’ recognises that each day has eight hours for work, eight for rest and eight for recreation. The origin of New Zealand’s labour movement goes back to 1840.

We will reopen on Tuesday 25th October at 8 am.

From all of us here at the Library we hope you have a restful day.

Library closed on Monday 26th September for the Queen Elizabeth II Remembrance Day

The Library at all Ara Campus will be closed on Monday 26th September as we officially remember the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

This is a one off public holiday announced by the government last week and will be observed right across the country. There will be a national ceremony to remember the Queen in Wellington on that day.

Our normal hours of operation will resume at 7 am on Tuesday 27th September.

Matariki e ara ana – Star gazing at Waimairi Beach -Tuesday, 21 June, 6am

Join us on an adventure to Waimairi Beach as we gather to sight the Matariki cluster. We will hear about the cluster and its significance to us here in Aotearoa. Whānau are welcome to come along please register to let us know. Breakfast will be provided by our events team on return to the campus. Note subject to change due to weather, you must register and provide contact details to be notified of any cancellation.

Location: Beachfront at Waimairi Surf Life Saving Club, 1 Beach Road, Christchurch.

Time: Meet at Ara at 6:00am outside Te Puna Wānaka corner of William St and Coventry St.

Taking your own transport? Meet at Waimairi Surf Club Car Park at 6.25am.

Cost: Free, must register by Thursday 16 June

Ara staff and students can Register to attend here