| Holiday | Date Observed | |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January, Tuesday 1st |  |
| Day after New Year's Day | January, Wednesday 2nd | |
| Southland Anniversary | January, Monday 14th | |
| Wellington Anniversary | January, Monday 21st | |
| Auckland Anniversary | January, Monday 28th | |
| Nelson Anniversary | February, Monday 4th | |
| Waitangi Day | February, Wednesday 6th | |
| Taranaki Anniversary | March, Monday 11th | |
| Otago Anniversary | March, Monday 25th | |
| Good Friday | March, Friday 29th | |
| Easter Monday | April, Monday 1st | |
| Daylight Saving ends | April, Sunday 7th | |
| ANZAC Day | April, Thursday 25th | |
| Queen's Birthday | June, Monday 3rd | |
| South Canterbury Anniversary | September, Monday 23rd | |
| Daylight Saving starts | September, Sunday 29th | |
| Hawke's Bay Anniversary | October, Friday 25th | |
| Labour Day | October, Monday 28th | |
| Marlborough Anniversary | November, Monday 4th | |
| Canterbury Anniversary | November, Friday 15th | |
| Westland Anniversary | December, Monday 2nd | |
| Chatham Islands Anniversary | December, Monday 2nd | |
| Christmas Day | December, Wednesday 25th | |
| Boxing Day | December, Thursday 26th |
| Holiday | Date Observed | |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January, Wednesday 1st | |
| Day after New Year's Day | January, Thursday 2nd | |
| Southland Anniversary | January, Monday 20th | |
| Wellington Anniversary | January, Monday 20th | |
| Auckland Anniversary | January, Monday 27th |
Your guide to the New Zealand Public Holiday
New Year's Day & The Day After New Year's Day
These two resolution-loaded holidays are always celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of January, however, if one or both of these holidays lands on a weekend, the holiday is actually observed on the next available working weekday.
For example, in 2012 New Year's Day landed on a Sunday. The day the holiday was observed couldn't be Monday as this was already taken up by the Day after New Year's Day holiday so instead it was pushed to Tuesday the 3rd of January.
Hang on.. so if I normally worked on a Sunday, does that mean I would've gotten Sunday off *and* the following Tuesday? Nope, I'm afraid not. If you were scheduled to work that day then you get that day off and no more :(
Anniversary Days
Most provincial regions have a designated date and this date sometimes lands on a weekend. Fortunately, everyone understands our need for a holiday so if the anniversary day happens to land on a weekend, it is kindly shuffled to a Monday or a Friday so we can put our feet up or get outside and celebrate!
But which day is it shuffled to? This can vary and is sometimes agreed upon. The anniversary holiday might even be shuffled to avoid landing on or near a large holiday such as Easter.
Waitangi Day
Our politically charged Waitangi Day is on February 6th every year. If it lands on a weekend, then we *do not* get a day off later in the week.
Easter
Chocolate bunny madness arrives and with it comes at least 2 days off! Good Friday and Easter Monday. For those of us in the education sector, there is often a third day off known as bonus Easter Tuesday.
How do I know which day is going to be Good Friday each year? Well, according to Wikipedia.org...
Easter and the holidays that are related to it are moveable feasts, in that they do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars (both of which follow the cycle of the sun and the seasons). Instead, the date for Easter is determined on a lunisolar calendar similar to the Hebrew calendar. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established the date of Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon (the Paschal Full Moon) following the northern hemisphere's vernal equinox.[3] Ecclesiastically, the equinox is reckoned to be on March 21 (even though the equinox occurs, astronomically speaking, on March 20 in most years), and the "Full Moon" is not necessarily the astronomically correct date.
(I suggest you just check publicholiday.co.nz)
ANZAC Day
The only day worth getting up at the crack of dawn for. ANZAC day is the 25th of April every year and if it lands on a weekend then once again, this *does not* roll over to a weekday.
Queen's Birthday
Well, this isn't *actually* the Queen's birthday but that's okay, we'll have the day off anyway. Queen's Birthday holiday is the 1st Monday in June and GBTQ this holiday does roll over to a weekday if it lands on a weekend.
Labour Day
This non-labouring holiday is the 4th Monday in October so you'll always find it on a Monday. Easy!
Christmas Day & Boxing Day
These holidays need no introduction and you'll find they follow exactly the same rules as New Year's Day and the Day after New Year's Day. In fact, because they are exactly 7 days apart whatever rules end up applying to Christmas, you'll find the same will happen to New Year's Day.
Anything else? What about Daylight Saving?
Daylight Saving
Daylight Saving starts in Spring on the last Sunday in September so we can get a little more sun. Clocks get put forward from 2.00am to 3.00am so remember the season and "Spring forward". Daylight Saving ends in Autumn (otherwise known a Fall) on the first Sunday in April. Clocks get put back from 3.00am to 2.00am so again, remember the season and "Fall back"
Can't remember which way the clocks go? Think of the seasons! Spring forward and Fall back.