Research
Every national holiday, anniversary day and school term date for 2026 and 2027 in one place, with what each one means for drivers, vans and demand.
By the DayRunner team ·
This page lists every New Zealand public holiday, regional anniversary day and school term for 2026 and 2027, taken from Employment New Zealand and the Ministry of Education. For tour and shuttle operators, these dates set the busy days, the days your drivers cost more, and the long weekends when domestic travellers fill your seats. Planning notes follow the tables.
We checked the dates on 20 October 2026. Employment New Zealand notes its list may contain errors and suggests checking anniversary days with your local council. Links are in Sources at the end.
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thu 1 Jan | Fri 1 Jan |
| Day after New Year's Day | Fri 2 Jan | Sat 2 Jan or Mon 4 Jan |
| Waitangi Day | Fri 6 Feb | Sat 6 Feb or Mon 8 Feb |
| Good Friday | Fri 3 Apr | Fri 26 Mar |
| Easter Monday | Mon 6 Apr | Mon 29 Mar |
| Anzac Day | Sat 25 Apr or Mon 27 Apr | Sun 25 Apr or Mon 26 Apr |
| King's Birthday | Mon 1 Jun | Mon 7 Jun |
| Matariki | Fri 10 Jul | Fri 25 Jun |
| Labour Day | Mon 26 Oct | Mon 25 Oct |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 Dec | Sat 25 Dec or Mon 27 Dec |
| Boxing Day | Sat 26 Dec or Mon 28 Dec | Sun 26 Dec or Tue 28 Dec |
Where two dates are shown, the holiday falls on a weekend. Staff who would normally work that weekend day get it on the weekend. Staff who wouldn't get the Monday (or Tuesday) instead.
| Province | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Wellington | Mon 19 Jan | Mon 25 Jan |
| Auckland | Mon 26 Jan | Mon 1 Feb |
| Nelson | Mon 2 Feb | Mon 1 Feb |
| Taranaki | Mon 9 Mar | Mon 8 Mar |
| Otago | Mon 23 Mar | Mon 22 Mar |
| Southland | Tue 7 Apr | Tue 30 Mar |
| South Canterbury | Mon 28 Sep | Mon 27 Sep |
| Hawke's Bay | Fri 23 Oct | Fri 22 Oct |
| Marlborough | Mon 2 Nov | Mon 1 Nov |
| Canterbury (Christchurch Show Day) | Fri 13 Nov | Fri 12 Nov |
| Westland | Mon 30 Nov | Mon 29 Nov |
| Chatham Islands | Mon 30 Nov | Mon 29 Nov |
Southland's falls on the Tuesday after Easter Monday, so staff in Invercargill and Gore get a five-day Easter break.
| 2026 | 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Starts between 26 Jan and 9 Feb, ends Thu 2 Apr | Starts between 28 Jan and 3 Feb, ends Fri 9 Apr |
| Autumn holidays | Fri 3 Apr to Sun 19 Apr | Sat 10 Apr to Mon 26 Apr |
| Term 2 | Mon 20 Apr to Fri 3 Jul | Tue 27 Apr to Fri 2 Jul |
| Winter holidays | Sat 4 Jul to Sun 19 Jul | Sat 3 Jul to Sun 18 Jul |
| Term 3 | Mon 20 Jul to Fri 25 Sep | Mon 19 Jul to Fri 24 Sep |
| Spring holidays | Sat 26 Sep to Sun 11 Oct | Sat 25 Sep to Sun 10 Oct |
| Term 4 | Mon 12 Oct to no later than Fri 18 Dec | Mon 11 Oct to no later than Fri 17 Dec |
Schools set their own term 1 start and term 4 finish within those windows, so the summer break varies by a week or two between schools.
Holiday peaks are when long days creep in: an extra pickup, a later return, a driver who did a late run the night before. The NZ work time rules still apply. A 30-minute break after 5½ hours of work, no more than 13 hours in a work day, and 10 hours' continuous rest after it. Our work time rules guide covers the detail.
On a peak day, the fix is in tomorrow's plan, not on the road. Plan the day shows how DayRunner allocates drivers and vans across every run, and work-time rules shows how it flags a driver who'd go over 13 hours or start without 10 hours' rest.
Per the Ministry of Education: 10 to 26 April, 3 to 18 July and 25 September to 10 October 2027, plus the summer break after term 4 ends (no later than 17 December). Term 1 starts between 28 January and 3 February, depending on the school.
When Anzac Day, Waitangi Day, Christmas, Boxing Day or the New Year holidays fall on a weekend, the holiday moves to the Monday (or Tuesday) for anyone who wouldn't normally work that weekend day. For anyone who would, it stays on the weekend. This is often called Mondayisation.
Employment New Zealand says an employee who works on a public holiday gets at least time and a half, and an alternative holiday (a day in lieu) if the holiday falls on a day they'd normally work. Check their public holidays guidance for your situation.
The one for the province your staff work in. Anniversary days follow the old provincial districts, not regions or councils, so check the Employment New Zealand list, or your local council, if you're near a boundary.
Show us tomorrow in your booking system. We'll show you the same day in DayRunner.