27 October 2004
Biggest Children’s Day Ever
Children’s Day events have hit a record high this year with over a thousand celebrations expected throughout the
country. In 2003 there were more than 930 events, up from over 250 in 2002.
“The enthusiasm is just incredible. The number of people contacting us for information and ideas on how to organise an
event has more than doubled this year. This year children are also taking the initiative to organise events with help of
their parents or school,” says Children’s Day project manager Brigit Vaughan. “The freephone has been running hot and
the website is receiving thousands of visitors a day, with 6184 hits being the daily average. For the period 1 October
to 25 October the website received 148,432 hits.”
“We have really seen a ripple effect occur with celebrations this year. The more people hear about Children’s Day the
more eager they are to get involved. There is a huge range in the types of events happening for Children’s Day this
year, from large scale community events to smaller family-based celebrations. We are fast realising our goal of
family/whanau and community ownership of Children’s Day.”
Children’s Day, on Sunday 31 October this year, provides parents, families and communities alike an opportunity to
celebrate the nation’s youngest citizens.
ENDS