Major events throughout the year
Although New Zealand is a multi-cultural country that welcomes many races and religions, because of our British heritage our public holidays are a combination of important national days and days traditionally based on events of Christian significance.
Public holidays
- New Year’s Day and the day after – 3, 4 January – New Zealand celebrates the first two working days of the New Year with a public holiday.
- Waitangi Day – 6 February – New Zealand celebrates the signing of our founding national document The Treaty of Waitangi, which was signed on this day in 1840.
- Good Friday, Easter Monday – these two days are part of what New Zealanders call ‘the Easter holidays”
- Anzac Day – 25 April – a solemn day when we remember those who served and died in war.
- Queen’s Birthday – first Monday in June – New Zealand celebrates the birthday of the Queen.
- Labour Day – fourth Monday in October – New Zealand celebrates the 40 hour working week.
- Christmas Day and Boxing Day – 25, 26 December – mark the start of what New Zealanders call “the Christmas holidays”. Many New Zealanders take time off work during this period.
Regional holidays
In addition to our public holidays, each region of the country also has an Anniversary day when people in that area have a day off work. There’s a list of these at the Department of Labour website.
Changes to the Holidays Act and the Employment Relations Act
Recent changes to the Holidays Act 2003 allow employees to cash in a maximum of one week of annual holidays and to transfer public holidays to another working day.
