Public Holidays in New Zealand

Public holidays in NZ are days set by law when employees may have the day off, or else special pay if they work. These are under the Holidays Act 2003.

They matter because they affect how you pay employees (whether salaried, part-time, casual) and when giving days off or alternative holidays. Getting this wrong can cost businesses in Auckland a lot, legally and in employee morale.

In this guide you’ll learn:

• What public holidays NZ are, and when they fall in 2025
• What the law requires about pay, time-off, and alternative holidays
• How to manage public holidays with different staff types (full-time, casual)
• How public holidays interact with wages, salary, and payroll in NZ

What are the Public Holidays in New Zealand

Here are the national public holidays in 2026 you must plan for.

• Day after New Year’s Day: Friday 2 January 2026
• Waitangi Day: Friday 6 February 2026
• Good Friday: Friday 3 April 2026
• Easter Monday: Monday 6 April 2026
• Anzac Day: Saturday 25 April 2026
• King’s Birthday: Monday 1 June 2026
• Matariki: Friday 10 July 2026
• Labour Day: Monday 26 October 2026
• Christmas Day: Friday 25 December 2026‍
• Boxing Day: Saturday 26 December 2026
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Key Legal Rules under the Holidays Act 2003

Here are the things NZ law requires for employers about public holidays in relation to salary and wages.
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1. Entitlement: day off or pay

• If a public holiday falls on a day an employee would normally work, the employee is entitled to a paid day off.
• If they work on that public holiday, you must pay them at least time-and-a-half for the hours worked.
  
  

2. “Otherwise working day”

• The phrase “otherwise working day” means: the day is one the employee would have worked if it were not a public holiday. That depends on their usual roster or pattern, what's agreed in their employment agreement.
  
• For example: If someone never works Sundays, and a public holiday falls on a Sunday, they are not automatically entitled to payment for that unless their contract / pattern says otherwise.

3. Alternative holiday (a “day in lieu”)

• If an employee works on a public holiday that is otherwise a working day, they are entitled to an alternative holiday (a paid day off later).
• If the holiday is not a day they would normally work, they are not entitled to that alternative holiday.

4. Pay calculation: Relevant daily pay vs average daily pay

• Pay for public holidays (worked or unworked) is based on Relevant Daily Pay (RDP) if you can calculate it clearly. RDP is what they would have earned if they worked that day including overtime, allowances etc.
• If RDP isn’t easy to work out (for example hours vary a lot), use Average Daily Pay (ADP), which is averaged over past weeks or months.
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5. Casual / irregular / intermittent staff

• Even casual or part-time or fixed-term workers are covered. Their entitlement depends on their work pattern and whether the holiday falls on an otherwise working day. 
• If their work is irregular such that it's impracticable to define an “otherwise working day”, the average pay approach may apply.

Applying Rules: Examples (Auckland / NZ Businesses)

Here are two examples from NZ businesses, to show how these rules work in practice.

• Retail shop in Auckland CBD: This store employed a casual employee who usually worked Saturdays, not Sundays. Waitangi Day fell on a Sunday one year. Because the worker doesn’t usually work Sundays, the holiday was “Mondayised” and observed on Monday. The worker received public holiday pay and the day off on Monday (since Monday was now treated as the holiday for them). The employer had to pay time-and-a-half if they worked, and alternative holiday if it was otherwise a working day.
  
• Café owner in Wellington: Matariki fell on a Friday. Some staff who work irregular shifts asked whether they get paid if they were rostered off that day. The owner looked at their work history and rosters: those who usually worked Fridays got paid; those who never worked Fridays did not. For those who did work, the owner had to pay relevant daily pay or average, and if they worked, time-and-a-half and alternative holiday.
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How many public holidays are there?

• There are 11 national public holidays in NZ each year.
• In addition, each region has one anniversary day holiday. So Auckland has Auckland Anniversary Day.
• Some holidays are “mondayised” or “transferred” if they fall on weekends. That means the observed day can move to Monday (or sometimes Tuesday) depending on the holiday.
• Easter Sunday is not a public holiday under the Holidays Act. So working or not on Easter Sunday does not automatically trigger public holiday pay or alternative holiday unless your contract says so.
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Key Takeaways from People & Culture

• NZ has 11 national public holidays + regional anniversary holidays. You must be aware of dates for 2025 and plan ahead.
• Your salary and wages policies must cover pay for public holidays: time off for those who’d usually work; time-and-a-half for those who work; alternative holiday where required.
• For casual/irregular staff, review their work pattern to decide on their entitlements. When in doubt use average daily pay.
• Always make sure employment agreements clearly state public holiday rules.

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