New Zealand holidays 2026–2027
New Zealand has 11 nationwide public holidays, including Matariki, plus a provincial anniversary day in each region, so most workers get 12. Holidays that fall on a weekend are "Mondayised" for employees who would not otherwise work that day.
Upcoming public holidays
Observed Mon, Dec 28 63 days away New Year's Day Friday, January 1, 2027 66 days away Day after New Year's Day Saturday, January 2, 2027
Observed Mon, Jan 4 101 days away Waitangi Day Saturday, February 6, 2027
Observed Mon, Feb 8 147 days away Good Friday Friday, March 26, 2027
Public holidays in 2026
| Holiday | Date | Day | Observed | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Jan 1 | Thursday | — | Nationwide |
| Day after New Year's Day | Jan 2 | Friday | — | Nationwide |
| Waitangi Day | Feb 6 | Friday | — | Nationwide |
| Good Friday | Apr 3 | Friday | — | Nationwide |
| Easter Monday | Apr 6 | Monday | — | Nationwide |
| Anzac Day | Apr 25 | Saturday | Mon, Apr 27 | Nationwide |
| King's Birthday | Jun 1 | Monday | — | Nationwide |
| Matariki | Jul 10 | Friday | — | Nationwide |
| Labour Day | Oct 26 | Monday | — | Nationwide |
| Christmas Day | Dec 25 | Friday | — | Nationwide |
| Boxing Day | Dec 26 | Saturday | Mon, Dec 28 | Nationwide |
Holidays by region
Each region page lists the public holidays it observes, its own region holidays, optional days, and long weekends for any year from 2026 to 2027.
All New Zealand holidays & observances
Public holidays (11)
- Anzac Day
- Boxing Day
- Christmas Day
- Day after New Year's Day
- Easter Monday
- Good Friday
- King's Birthday
- Labour Day
- Matariki
- New Year's Day
- Waitangi Day
Provincial anniversary days (12)
- Auckland Anniversary Day
- Canterbury Anniversary Day
- Chatham Islands Anniversary Day
- Hawke's Bay Anniversary Day
- Marlborough Anniversary Day
- Nelson Anniversary Day
- Otago Anniversary Day
- South Canterbury Anniversary Day
- Southland Anniversary Day
- Taranaki Anniversary Day
- Wellington Anniversary Day
- Westland Anniversary Day
Observances (5)
Where the dates come from
Each holiday is stoerd as the rule that creates it: a fixed date, a numbered weekday of a month, or an offset from Easter, together with the rule for a holiday that lands on a weekend. The dates are worked out from those rules and then checked against the government's own published calendar. Where a date depends on a yearly proclamation or a government announcement rather than a formula, we use the announcement, and the note on that row says when a date is still expected rather than confirmed.
How New Zealand holiday dates are set
The Holidays Act 2003 sets the national public holidays and the Mondayisation rules, and Matariki has its own Act from 2022. Provincial anniversary days are fixed by convention in each region — usually the Monday closest to the province's founding date — and the exact date is confirmed each year by Employment New Zealand.
For American readers, the main difference is that the United States has no legal right to paid time off on a public holiday, while New Zealand does, here a public holiday carries an entitlement, such as a day off, a substitute day, extra leave or premium pay, rather than being a day employers may or may not choose to observe.