New Zealand awareness days and key dates

Saturday 1 August 2026

• Vanuatu Bislama Language Week

  Religious and cultural26 July to 1 August 2026

  A New Zealand week in late July for the Vanuatu Bislama language, one of the Pacific Language Weeks. In 2026 it ran 26 July to 1 August.

• Biosecurity Week (New Zealand)

  Awareness27 July to 2 August 2026

  Biosecurity Week in New Zealand falls in the final week of July and highlights the work protecting the country from pests and diseases.

• World Breastfeeding Week

  Awareness1 to 7 August 2026

  World Breastfeeding Week, 1 to 7 August, promotes breastfeeding and the support families need from communities, employers and governments.

• World Lung Cancer Day

  Awareness

  A global day on 1 August that raises awareness of lung cancer risks, screening and treatment.

Sunday 2 August 2026

• Cook Islands Māori Language Week

  Religious and cultural2 to 8 August 2026

  A New Zealand week in early August for the Cook Islands Māori language, one of the Pacific Language Weeks. In 2026 it ran 2 to 8 August.

Monday 3 August 2026

• Fairtrade Fortnight (Australia and New Zealand)

  Awareness3 to 16 August 2026

  Fairtrade Fortnight in Australia and New Zealand runs for two weeks in August, asking shoppers to look for the Fairtrade Mark.

Thursday 6 August 2026

• International Day of Awareness of the Special Development Needs and Challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries

  Awareness

  On 6 August the UN highlights the development challenges faced by the 32 developing countries that have no coastline.

Sunday 9 August 2026

• International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

  Awareness

  On 9 August the UN raises awareness of the rights and needs of Indigenous Peoples around the world.

Monday 10 August 2026

• World Lion Day

  Awareness

  Held on 10 August, World Lion Day raises awareness of the decline of wild lions and gathers support for their conservation.

Tuesday 11 August 2026

• World Steelpan Day

  Awareness

  World Steelpan Day on 11 August celebrates the steelpan, the musical instrument from Trinidad and Tobago, and its cultural importance.

Wednesday 12 August 2026

• International Youth Day

  Awareness

  International Youth Day on 12 August highlights the role of young people in building fair and sustainable societies.

• World Elephant Day

  Awareness

  Marked on 12 August, World Elephant Day draws attention to threats facing Asian and African elephants, such as poaching and habitat loss.

Saturday 15 August 2026

• Assumption of Mary

  Religious and cultural

  The Assumption of Mary on 15 August is the Catholic feast celebrating Mary being taken up into heaven, a holy day of obligation.

Sunday 16 August 2026

• Tonga Language Week

  Religious and cultural16 to 22 August 2026

  A New Zealand week in mid August for the Tongan language, one of the Pacific Language Weeks. In 2026 it ran 16 to 22 August.

Monday 17 August 2026

• Netsafety Week

  Awareness17 to 23 August 2026

  Netsafety Week is a New Zealand week of free online and in person sessions on staying safe online, run by Netsafe in August.

Tuesday 18 August 2026

• Vietnam Veterans' Day (New Zealand)

  Awareness

  Annual national commemoration on 18 August, the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, honouring New Zealanders who served in the Vietnam War.

Wednesday 19 August 2026

• Qixi Festival

  Religious and cultural

  Qixi, sometimes called Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, usually in August.

• World Humanitarian Day

  Awareness

  World Humanitarian Day on 19 August honours aid workers and calls for the protection of people who deliver humanitarian help.

Thursday 20 August 2026

• World Mosquito Day

  Awareness

  Held on 20 August, World Mosquito Day marks Sir Ronald Ross's 1897 discovery that mosquitoes transmit malaria, and highlights mosquito borne diseases.

Friday 21 August 2026

• International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism

  Awareness

  On 21 August the UN honours and supports victims and survivors of terrorism and promotes their rights.

Saturday 22 August 2026

• International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief

  Awareness

  On 22 August the UN remembers people harmed by violence because of their religion or belief and calls for support for them.

Sunday 23 August 2026

• International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

  Awareness

  On 23 August UNESCO remembers the transatlantic slave trade and marks the 1791 uprising in Saint Domingue, now Haiti, that helped bring about its end.

Wednesday 26 August 2026

• Onam

  Religious and cultural

  Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala, celebrated in August or September with flower carpets and a large vegetarian feast.

Thursday 27 August 2026

• World Lake Day

  Awareness

  World Lake Day on 27 August raises awareness of lakes and the need to manage and protect them sustainably.

Friday 28 August 2026

• Daffodil Day (New Zealand)

  Awareness

  New Zealand's main cancer fundraising and awareness day, held by the Cancer Society on the last Friday in August.

• National Poetry Day (New Zealand)

  Awareness

  New Zealand's National Poetry Day is a Friday in late August with readings, competitions and poetry events across the country.

• Raksha Bandhan

  Religious and cultural

  Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival in August celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters with a protective thread.

Saturday 29 August 2026

• International Bat Night

  Awareness29 to 30 August 2026

  A celebration of bats on the last full weekend of August, with bat walks and talks across Europe and the UK.

• International Day against Nuclear Tests

  Awareness

  The International Day against Nuclear Tests on 29 August raises awareness of the effects of nuclear test explosions and calls for them to end.

Sunday 30 August 2026

• International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

  Awareness

  On 30 August the UN honours people who have been forcibly disappeared and supports their families' right to the truth.

Monday 31 August 2026

• International Day for People of African Descent

  Awareness

  On 31 August the UN celebrates the heritage and contributions of people of African descent and calls for an end to racial discrimination.

• International Day of Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence

  Awareness

  On 31 August the UN promotes artificial intelligence that is safe, secure and trustworthy and that benefits everyone.

• International Overdose Awareness Day

  Awareness

  Held on 31 August, the world's largest campaign to remember people lost to overdose, reduce stigma and promote overdose prevention.