Working days and public holidays in New Zealand

For a Monday-to-Friday worker, a public holiday on a weekend usually moves to the Monday or Tuesday, anniversary days depend on the region you work in, and Matariki's date changes each year. Count from the dates Employment New Zealand publishes, not from memory.

What counts as a working day

In everyday use, a working day is a weekday that isn't a public holiday. That's the definition the working days calculator uses. But "working day" can mean something narrower in a contract, a lease or a piece of legislation, which may exclude extra days such as the period between Christmas and early January. When a deadline matters, find the definition the document uses first, then count. A day count is only as good as the definition behind it.

Holidays that fall on a weekend

Employment New Zealand explains that when a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, what happens depends on whether that day is one the person would normally work. For someone who usually works that weekend day, the holiday stays where it is. For someone who doesn't, it moves to the Monday, or sometimes the Tuesday. This is what people call Mondayisation, and the weekend day then counts as an ordinary day. These are the holidays in the published data that move for a Monday-to-Friday worker:

The Tuesday cases happen at Christmas and New Year, when two holidays fall on the same weekend: Christmas Day takes the Monday and Boxing Day the Tuesday. A person can't claim both the actual date and the moved date as separate holidays, and Employment New Zealand says no one is entitled to more than four public holidays over the Christmas and New Year period, whatever their work pattern.

Regional anniversary days

Each region also has an anniversary day. Employment New Zealand notes that these are set by local custom and practice, and that some regions observe them on a different day from the actual anniversary, sometimes weeks away. Canterbury's is observed as Show Day in November, for instance, even though the anniversary itself is in December. Here are the days observed for Monday-to-Friday workers in each region:

You get one anniversary day a year, normally the one for the region you usually work in. Employment New Zealand says that if someone is temporarily based elsewhere, they and their employer should agree which one applies. It also warns that its table may contain errors and suggests checking with the local council, which is worth doing before you plan a long weekend around one.

Matariki

Matariki is a national public holiday, but unlike Labour Day or King's Birthday it doesn't follow a simple weekday rule, so its date has to be looked up for each year. Employment New Zealand lists 10 July 2026 and 25 June 2027, both Fridays. Because it's on a weekday in both years, it doesn't move. If you're planning work or school dates further ahead, check the date for that year once it's published rather than assuming it repeats.

Worked examples

• The Christmas fortnight. From Monday 20 December 2027 to Friday 7 January 2028 there are 15 weekdays. Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2027 fall on the weekend, so their days off are Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. In December alone that leaves 8 working days out of 10 weekdays. The calculator only has data for 2026 and 2027, so it will tell you it can't check January 2028 rather than guess.
• A three-week deadline in summer. From Monday 25 January to Friday 12 February 2027 there are 15 weekdays. Waitangi Day falls on a Saturday that year, so Monday 8 February is a day off for both Auckland and Wellington workers. Each region then loses a different Monday: Wellington's anniversary day on 25 January and Auckland's on 1 February. Both end up with 13 working days, but someone who counts only the national holidays would get one more than that.

If you work on a public holiday

Pay rules aren't what this site calculates, but they explain why the dates matter. Employment New Zealand says someone who works on a public holiday must be paid at least time and a half, and gets an alternative holiday (a paid day off later) if it was a day they'd normally work. It also notes that the Employment Leave Act is due to replace the Holidays Act in August 2028, so these rules may change. Its page on Public holidays rights for employees (Employment New Zealand, MBIE) sets out the detail, and When a public holiday falls on a weekend (Employment New Zealand, MBIE) covers the weekend cases.

Tips for counting

• Write down whether the first and last days count before you start.
• Use the Monday-to-Friday day off, not the actual date, when a holiday lands on a weekend.
• Add your anniversary day only if the count is for one region.
• Remember workplace shutdowns aren't public holidays; remove them yourself if they apply.

For plain calendar days, see days between dates or the guide on counting days between two dates. To see the year at a glance with holidays marked, print the printable calendar.

Last reviewed: 3 October 2026