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Public Holidays in New Zealand 2026 + Free Staff Planning Template

Complete list of official public holidays and free downloadable staff planning templates

Official Public Holidays

13 holidays in New Zealand for 2026

New Zealand flag
Holiday Date Day Applies To
New Year's Day
New Year’s Day is a public holiday in New Zealand on January 1 each year.
 January 01 Thursday Nationwide
Day after New Year's Day
January 2 is a public holiday known as the Day after New Year’s Day in New Zealand
 January 02 Friday Nationwide
Waitangi Day
On February 6 every year, New Zealanders celebrate Waitangi Day, a national holiday to commemorat...
 February 06 Friday Nationwide
Good Friday
Good Friday is two days before Easter Sunday and is a public holiday in New Zealand.
 April 03 Friday Nationwide
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is a public holiday in New Zealand.
 April 06 Monday Nationwide
ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day commemorates Australians and New Zealanders fighting in World War I.
 April 25 Saturday Nationwide
Day off for ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day commemorates Australians and New Zealanders fighting in World War I.
 April 27 Monday Nationwide
King's Birthday
The King’s birthday is an annual public holiday in New Zealand on the first Monday of June.
 June 01 Monday Nationwide
Matariki
Matariki is a national holiday in New Zealand
 July 10 Friday Nationwide
Labour Day
Labour Day is a nationwide public holiday in New Zealand on the fourth Monday in October each year.
 October 26 Monday Nationwide
Christmas Day
Christmas Day is a public holiday in New Zealand on December 25 each year.
 December 25 Friday Nationwide
Boxing Day
Boxing Day, annually observed on December 26, is a public holiday in New Zealand.
 December 26 Saturday Nationwide
Day off for Boxing Day
Boxing Day, annually observed on December 26, is a public holiday in New Zealand.
 December 28 Monday Nationwide

Legal Notice: This information is for guidance only and should not be considered legal advice. Always validate with local authorities or legal practitioners in New Zealand.

📅 Free Staff Holiday Planning Templates

Download our ready-to-use templates to plan your team's time off around New Zealand's public holidays

Google Sheets Template Excel Template

Perfect for HR managers, team leads, and small business owners planning staff coverage around public holidays

Managing staff leave around these holidays?

Stop juggling spreadsheets and manual processes. Leavetrack automatically handles public holidays and makes employee leave management effortless.

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Why HR Teams Choose Leavetrack

Everything you need for seamless leave management

Automatic Public Holiday Import
All public holidays for New Zealand and 180+ other countries automatically loaded. No manual data entry required.
Save 5+ Hours Per Week
Eliminate manual leave calculations and reduce administrative overhead by up to 80%.
Compliance Made Easy
Built-in compliance tracking ensures you meet local employment laws and holiday entitlements.
Team Visibility
Everyone sees who's off when, preventing scheduling conflicts and ensuring adequate coverage.

Trusted by HR teams worldwide

160,478
Absences managed
5048
Employees using Leavetrack
4.8/5
Average customer rating

"With a team of over 50 employees, keeping track of absences and holidays using a paper based system used to be time consuming and prone to errors. Since introducing Leavetrack, the whole process has become a lot simpler and easier."

Cynthia Fisher
Commercial Director, Intatec Limited

How It Works

Simple, powerful leave management in four steps

1

Employees Request Leave

Simple, intuitive interface lets employees request time off in seconds. Public holidays are automatically excluded from calculations.

  • Book leave in under 30 seconds
  • See available leave balance instantly
  • Mobile-friendly for on-the-go requests
2

Managers Approve Instantly

Managers see all request details including conflicts with public holidays and other team members' leave.

  • Approve/reject directly from email
  • See team coverage at a glance
  • Complete audit trail of decisions
3

Plan Team Coverage

Beautiful visual calendar shows exactly who's off when, including public holidays, so you can plan optimal team coverage.

  • Color-coded wall chart
  • Filter by department or team
  • Spot conflicts before they happen
4

Generate Reports

Comprehensive reporting gives you insights into leave patterns, costs, and compliance - all exportable to Excel.

  • Full audit trail of all leave
  • Export to CSV for further analysis
  • Track entitlements and accruals

Don't Forget Your Free Planning Templates!

Get our ready-to-use staff planning templates to organize your team around New Zealand's 2026 public holidays

Download Google Sheets Download Excel

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About Public Holidays in New Zealand

Public holidays in New Zealand are designated days when employees are entitled to take a day off work with pay. These holidays are established by the Holidays Act 2003 and include significant dates such as New Year's Day, Waitangi Day, and Christmas Day. In total, New Zealand observes 11 public holidays each year, and if a public holiday falls on a weekend, it is typically observed on the following Monday. Understanding public holidays is crucial for effective absence management and staff leave planning, ensuring that businesses can maintain productivity while respecting employees' rights to time off. For more detailed information on public holidays in New Zealand, you can visit the official government website: Employment New Zealand - Public Holidays.