Source: Radio New Zealand
New Zealanders are celebrating Christmas Day throughout the country, with traditional family get togethers, shared meals, gift giving and Christmas trees.
Here’s some of what Christmas looks like this year.
Auckland’s Catholic bishop Steve Lowe says Christians at home and around the world have been gathering in places of worship to remember the meaning of Christmas.
Christmas Day marks the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ in the Christian calendar.
“It’s a day for us which holds great hope, and I think at the moment our world needs a lot of that – and the Prince of Peace can bring that,” Lowe says.
It’s an important and hopeful time for everyone, not just Christians.
“Whether you’re a Christian, or whatever other faith – or no faith at all, it’s a great day to think about peace and the desire for peace, in our world and in our homes.”
Sharing the Christmas love
Auckland’s City Mission is providing Christmas Day lunch to scores more people than last year.
It will host hundreds of rough sleepers, City Mission residents, and people who would otherwise be alone.
The dining area was set up yesterday and the chef has been carving ham this morning.
Head of fundraising Joe Rich says there were about 450 people last year but the Mission is prepared for 600 later today.
It will be a traditional big Christmas meal of ham, vegetables, pavlova and treats, he says.
Servers dishing up lunch, at Auckland City Mission’s Christmas in 2023. RNZ / Felix Walton
Subdued pre-Christmas spending
Today, New Zealand houses are filled with the sounds of presents being unwrapped, Christmas meals being prepared and enjoyed, and toasts to the day. But yesterday, the ching ching of cash registers resounded everywhere.
Christmas Eve was the busiest shopping day of the year, with just under 10,000 sales a minute at its peak.
Payments company Worldline says the peak was midday to 1pm, when more than 563,000 sales were recorded on its network.
The company does not have a value for the spending, but says the peak number of transactions was the lowest in the past six years and well shy of the record 679,000 in 2019.
Worldline noted sales picked up last week, but overall pre-Christmas shopping was lower than a year ago.
Christmas Day power cut
More than 1000 Christchurch residents awoke to no power on Christmas morning.
Power company Orion said 1400 properties in the suburbs of Beckenham, Cashmere, Huntsbury, St Martins, and Sydenham were affected. But the lights and power were back on by about 9am.
Santa fun run
Supplied / Ryan Watts Photo
Earlier in December, a sea of red flooded Hobsonville on 18 December, as hundreds of Santas in sneakers dashed for cash, for a good cause.
The inaugural 5 kilometre fun run and walk was organised by the Early Bird Run Crew and raised funds for West Auckland Hospice.
Nearly 600 runners showed up.
Club founder Duncan Oswald said themed runs and dressing up for events made it a lot of fun and the cause they had chosen to support touched a personal note with many of the crew who were involved.
Supplied / Ryan Watts Photo
Teo enjoying retirement and Christmas at home
Teo under the Christmas tree, back home. Supplied / NZ Police
Teo the police dog has worked to fight crime for seven years, but was retired after being injured in early October from falling into hot geothermal water during a search operation in Rotorua.
She has been nursed back to health by a team of vets and nurses, and her handler Constable Adam Johannsen.
Johannsen says Teo’s just about back to full health now, and is home for Christmas.
“She’s quite a remarkable dog and just doesn’t give up,” he said.
Christmas trees decorating city centres
Auckland’s Te Manaaki Christmas tree, has been lit up since early December. Supplied / Sacha Stejko
Auckland’s Britomart is home to the 18.5m Te Manaaki Christmas tree. This year it is bedecked with 10,000 LEDs, 200 stainless steel baubles, and thousands of flowers.
Reactions to it have been mixed, with some loving the decorations jollying up the city centre, and others not convinced.
People RNZ spoke to in Dunedin were also unconvinced by their city’s tree, in The Octagon.
While a tree constructed by volunteers in Featherston was destroyed by vandals.
The handmade, sustainable Christmas tree in Featherston, before it was damaged. Supplied
The tree display in The Octagon, Dunedin. RNZ / Tess Brunton
In Wellington, the city council has put up three large Christmas trees in different spots, including a film-themed tree in Courtenay Place, a sea-themed tree on Queen’s Wharf, and a more traditional tree in the city centre’s Midland Park. The city’s well-loved Bucket Fountain was also decorated for Christmas.
The Queen’s Wharf tree was decorated with seagull and sailboat ornaments. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
