New Zealand

New Zealand public holidays — 2026

Official public holidays in New Zealand for 2026, from government sources.

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Calendar generated Wednesday 7 October 2026; live status uses the desk's reference local date when available.

October 2026 holidays

DateHolidayNotes
Thursday 1 January 2026New Year's Day
Friday 2 January 2026Day after New Year's Day
Monday 19 January 2026Wellington Anniversary Day Regional · WellingtonObserved in the Wellington region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Monday 26 January 2026Auckland Anniversary Day Regional · AucklandObserved in the Auckland region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Monday 26 January 2026Northland Anniversary Day Regional · NorthlandObserved in the Northland region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Monday 2 February 2026Nelson Anniversary Day Regional · NelsonObserved in the Nelson region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Friday 6 February 2026Waitangi Day
Monday 9 March 2026Taranaki Anniversary Day Regional · TaranakiObserved in the Taranaki region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Monday 23 March 2026Otago Anniversary Day Regional · OtagoObserved in the Otago region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Friday 3 April 2026Good Friday
Monday 6 April 2026Easter Monday
Tuesday 7 April 2026Southland Anniversary Day Regional · SouthlandObserved in the Southland region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Monday 27 April 2026Anzac DayActual date 2026-04-25 — Actual date 25 Apr 2026.
Monday 1 June 2026King's Birthday
Friday 10 July 2026Matariki
Monday 28 September 2026South Canterbury Anniversary Day Regional · South CanterburyObserved in the South Canterbury region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Friday 23 October 2026Hawke's Bay Anniversary Day Regional · Hawke's BayObserved in the Hawke's Bay region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Monday 26 October 2026Labour Day
Monday 2 November 2026Marlborough Anniversary Day Regional · MarlboroughObserved in the Marlborough region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Friday 13 November 2026Canterbury Anniversary Day Regional · CanterburyObserved in the Canterbury region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Monday 30 November 2026Chatham Islands Anniversary Day Regional · Chatham IslandsObserved in the Chatham Islands region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Monday 30 November 2026Westland Anniversary Day Regional · WestlandObserved in the Westland region only — not a nationwide New Zealand public holiday.
Friday 25 December 2026Christmas Day
Monday 28 December 2026Boxing DayActual date 2026-12-26 — Actual date 26 Dec 2026.

Source: Employment New Zealand (MBIE). Licence: Crown copyright (New Zealand Government, attribution required).

About this calendar

A public-holiday calendar records the days New Zealand has set aside as statutory time off. National holidays apply nationwide; where an official regional or provincial list is published, those dates are included separately and clearly labelled rather than folded into the national figures. This calendar is a reference, not a legal determination of anyone's leave entitlement. Dates move for two common reasons: many countries observe a fixed-date holiday on the nearest working day when it falls at a weekend, and some observances follow lunar or other non-Gregorian reckoning that shifts against the everyday calendar. Regional holidays are always shown as regional and never added to the national count. The licence terms and the government producer behind each list are credited on the sources page.

Reading the table

The table gives the date a holiday falls on, the observance date when a weekend shift or substitute day applies, and notes published with the source. A Regional · <region> badge marks a holiday that applies only in that region; it is never counted as nationwide. Some countries publish both the original date and the observed date, so both are shown instead of silently adjusting one. Employers, schools, and individual workplaces may follow different calendars or grant extra days, so treat this table as a guide rather than an entitlement. For a wider comparison of why observance moves between countries, see why holiday dates differ between countries. The official source is always the final authority.

Where these dates come from

New Zealand's dates come from Employment New Zealand (MBIE) and are Crown copyright, reused with attribution. The desk carries two layers: national public holidays such as Waitangi Day, Anzac Day and Matariki, and provincial anniversary days such as Auckland Anniversary or Canterbury Anniversary, which are labelled regional because they apply only in their district. Anniversary dates follow specific rules, the Monday closest to a set date in several provinces and Easter Tuesday in Southland, and are computed in the build from the rules MBIE publishes. Fixed holidays are Mondayised when they fall at a weekend, so the observed date can differ from the actual one, and Matariki is set by an official advisory group each year on a different date. The MBIE guidance is the authority; corrections flow from it. Wellington's anniversary is the Monday closest to 22 January, and Southland's is fixed to Easter Tuesday.

What this site covers

Each country desk lists public holidays from an official government source with a licence that allows republication. Year pages show every date, a month chart, and whether today is a holiday in that country. Year pages are available back to 2018 on every desk, so you can compare how the calendar has changed over time.