Public holidays in New Zealand, 2026
New Zealand observes 11 nationwide public holidays in 2026. After weekends and those holidays are removed, the working year comes to 250 days.
Every public holiday in 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, 1 Jan | Thursday | New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| Fri, 2 Jan | Friday | Day after New Year's Day | Nationwide |
| Mon, 19 Jan | Monday | Wellington Anniversary Day | NZ-WGN, NZ-MWT |
| Mon, 26 Jan | Monday | Auckland Anniversary Day Auckland/Northland Anniversary Day |
NZ-AUK, NZ-NTL, NZ-WKO, NZ-GIS, NZ-BOP |
| Mon, 2 Feb | Monday | Nelson Anniversary Day | NZ-NSN |
| Fri, 6 Feb | Friday | Waitangi Day | Nationwide |
| Mon, 9 Mar | Monday | Taranaki Anniversary Day | NZ-TKI |
| Mon, 23 Mar | Monday | Otago Anniversary Day | NZ-OTA |
| Fri, 3 Apr | Friday | Good Friday | Nationwide |
| Mon, 6 Apr | Monday | Easter Monday | Nationwide |
| Tue, 7 Apr | Tuesday | Southland Anniversary Day | NZ-STL |
| Mon, 27 Apr | Monday | Anzac Day | Nationwide |
| Mon, 1 Jun | Monday | King's Birthday | Nationwide |
| Fri, 10 Jul | Friday | Matariki | Nationwide |
| Mon, 28 Sep | Monday | Canterbury (South) Anniversary Day Dominion Day |
NZ-CAN |
| Fri, 23 Oct | Friday | Hawke's Bay Anniversary Day | NZ-HKB |
| Mon, 26 Oct | Monday | Labour Day | Nationwide |
| Mon, 2 Nov | Monday | Marlborough Anniversary Day | NZ-MBH |
| Fri, 13 Nov | Friday | Canterbury Anniversary Day Canterbury (North & Central) Anniversary Day |
NZ-CAN |
| Mon, 30 Nov | Monday | Chatham Islands Anniversary Day | NZ-CIT |
| Mon, 30 Nov | Monday | Westland Anniversary Day | NZ-WTC |
| Fri, 25 Dec | Friday | Christmas Day | Nationwide |
| Mon, 28 Dec | Monday | Boxing Day | Nationwide |
12 further dates are observed in some regions only and are not counted in the working day totals above.
Working days month by month
| Month | Calendar days | Weekend | Holidays | Working days | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 9 | 2 | 20 | 160 |
| February | 28 | 8 | 1 | 19 | 152 |
| March | 31 | 9 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| April | 30 | 8 | 3 | 19 | 152 |
| May | 31 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 168 |
| June | 30 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| July | 31 | 8 | 1 | 22 | 176 |
| August | 31 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 168 |
| September | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| October | 31 | 9 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| November | 30 | 9 | 0 | 21 | 168 |
| December | 31 | 8 | 2 | 21 | 168 |
| Year | 365 | 104 | 11 | 250 | 2,000 |
Reading these figures
The working day count treats Saturday and Sunday as the weekend, which is the standard working week in New Zealand. Only nationwide holidays are deducted; a date observed in one region alone still counts as a working day here, because a national figure that moved with regional calendars would describe nobody accurately.
The longest working month is March at 22 days; the shortest is April at 19. That spread of 3 days matters for anything billed or accrued monthly, which is why payroll and capacity plans that assume an even year drift by the end of it. The thinnest quarter is Q1, carrying 61 working days across January, February, March.
Compared with 2025, which held 250 working days, 2026 is identical in length.
Against the 204 countries covered here for 2026, New Zealand's 11 nationwide holidays put it below the median of 12, around the 38th percentile. The range across all countries this year runs from 3 to 49.
The holidays produce 8 breaks of three consecutive non-working days or more. The longest runs 4 days, from 1 January 2026 to 4 January 2026, built around New Year's Day and Day after New Year's Day. The full breakdown is here.
7 of this year's holidays sit on a different calendar date than in 2025: Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, King's Birthday, Matariki, Labour Day and others. Dates that move cannot be carried forward from last year's planning spreadsheet, which is the most common way a holiday is missed.