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Story: Public holidays

Timaru Caledonian Games

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The Timaru Caledonian Games had been held each New Year's Day for 70 years when this documentary was filmed in 1946. For Scots settlers, the New Year holiday was a time to celebrate and to assert their identity. The tradition endured.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Weekly Review 229. National Film Unit, 1946.

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Nancy Swarbrick, Public holidays – Easter, Christmas and New Year, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/32454/timaru-caledonian-games (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 14 March 2012.