Key insights
- Four leave days around Easter 2027 buy a 10-day break, and Southland staff need only three.
- Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough staff can turn four leave days into 10 off around Labour Day.
- Only 69.2% of staff at a typical New Zealand company feel able to take time off when needed.
At a typical New Zealand company, 69.2 per cent of employees feel able to take time off when they think it’s necessary. At the Best Workplaces™, Great Place To Work survey data puts the figure at 91.8 per cent.
Both work under the same Holidays Act and the same public holidays. The difference is the workplace.
The 2027 calendar gives leaders a generous opening. Easter and Labour Day both reward a little forward planning, provided the cover is sorted before the requests arrive.
What are the New Zealand public holidays 2027 dates?
New Zealand has 11 national public holidays in 2027. Five fall on a weekend, so staff who don’t usually work that day take them on the Monday or Tuesday instead.
| National holiday | 2027 date | Observed |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Fri 1 Jan | No change |
| Day after New Year’s Day | Sat 2 Jan | Mon 4 Jan |
| Waitangi Day | Sat 6 Feb | Mon 8 Feb |
| Good Friday | Fri 26 Mar | No change |
| Easter Monday | Mon 29 Mar | No change |
| Anzac Day | Sun 25 Apr | Mon 26 Apr |
| King’s Birthday | Mon 7 Jun | No change |
| Matariki | Fri 25 Jun | No change |
| Labour Day | Mon 25 Oct | No change |
| Christmas Day | Sat 25 Dec | Mon 27 Dec |
| Boxing Day | Sun 26 Dec | Tue 28 Dec |
Each employee gets one entitlement per holiday, on the weekend day or the observed day depending on whether they normally work it. Check rosters for weekend staff.
When are the 2027 regional anniversary days?
Each region gets one anniversary day, and the dates spread across the year. A national team can lose Wellington on Monday 25 January and Auckland a week later.
| Anniversary area | Observed 2027 |
|---|---|
| Wellington (incl. Manawatū, Whanganui) | Mon 25 Jan |
| Auckland (incl. Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne) | Mon 1 Feb |
| Nelson (incl. Tasman, Buller) | Mon 1 Feb |
| Taranaki | Mon 8 Mar |
| Otago | Mon 22 Mar |
| Southland | Tue 30 Mar |
| South Canterbury | Mon 27 Sep |
| Hawke’s Bay | Fri 22 Oct |
| Marlborough | Mon 1 Nov |
| Canterbury | Fri 12 Nov |
| Chatham Islands | Mon 29 Nov |
| Westland | Mon 29 Nov |
Councils set anniversary days by local custom, so confirm with the council where in doubt. The New Zealand Government’s holiday dates page has the full list.
Which New Zealand public holidays 2027 leave windows should you share with your team?
Easter is best: four leave days buy 10 days off, and Southland’s anniversary cuts that to three. Share the windows early, while there is time to plan cover. They assume a Monday-to-Friday week.
| Window | Book leave | Time off |
|---|---|---|
| Waitangi Day | Tue 9 to Fri 12 Feb | 9 days, Sat 6 to Sun 14 Feb |
| Easter | Tue 30 Mar to Fri 2 Apr | 10 days, Fri 26 Mar to Sun 4 Apr |
| Easter, Southland | Wed 31 Mar to Fri 2 Apr | 10 days, Fri 26 Mar to Sun 4 Apr |
| Anzac Day | Tue 27 to Fri 30 Apr | 9 days, Sat 24 Apr to Sun 2 May |
| Matariki | Mon 21 to Thu 24 Jun | 9 days, Sat 19 to Sun 27 Jun |
| Labour Day, Hawke’s Bay | Tue 26 to Fri 29 Oct | 10 days, Fri 22 to Sun 31 Oct |
| Labour Day, Marlborough | Tue 26 to Fri 29 Oct | 10 days, Sat 23 Oct to Mon 1 Nov |
| Christmas | Wed 29 to Fri 31 Dec | 9 days, Sat 25 Dec to Sun 2 Jan |
Everywhere else, Labour Day returns nine days for four. The government has not yet published 2028 dates, so confirm New Year before stretching Christmas.
Why does it matter if your team takes leave?
Plenty of New Zealand workers are running low. In the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions’ Mood of the Workforce survey of 3,578 people, published in January 2026, 50.5 per cent said their work-life balance had worsened over the previous 12 months. Only 6 per cent said it had improved. One respondent wrote: “Even after holidays, I still feel depleted.”
That respondent makes the case for regular breaks across the year, booked before people are running on fumes. It is also a retention issue. Many respondents said they would be better off moving overseas, particularly younger workers, and a workplace where leave feels hard to take gives them one more reason to look.
Untaken leave also gets dearer the longer it sits. It is carried on the books as a liability, and Employment New Zealand says annual holiday pay is set when the holiday starts, at the higher of ordinary weekly pay or average weekly earnings over the previous 12 months. Every pay rise lifts the cost of the banked weeks.
How can leaders encourage leave and keep proper coverage?
Ask early. “When do you want a proper break next year?” lands better in November than in the week before Easter.
Great Place To Work data finds 86.7 per cent of Best Workplaces employees say people are encouraged to balance work and personal life, against 57.6 per cent at a typical New Zealand company.
Great Place To Work survey data
I am able to take time off when I think it’s necessary
Best Workplaces
91.8%All Certified
89.4%Typical New Zealand company
69.2%People are encouraged to balance work and personal life
Best Workplaces
86.7%All Certified
78.6%Typical New Zealand company
57.6%
Map coverage by skill
Five people on deck help little if only the absent one approves payments.
Publish the peak-period rules
Explain how competing Easter and Christmas requests will be decided.
Give the backup real authority
Defer what can wait, so cover never becomes a second job.
Agree what counts as urgent
A missing slide template can wait until Monday.
Leave room for a proper break, too. Employers must let staff take at least two of their four weeks’ annual holidays in one go.
Then take your own leave. A leader emailing from a beach in Ōhope makes switching off look optional.
New Zealand public holidays 2027: FAQs
How many public holidays does New Zealand have in 2027?
New Zealand has 11 national public holidays in 2027, plus one regional anniversary day, so most employees have up to 12. Paid days off apply when a holiday falls on a day the employee would otherwise work. Five of the New Zealand public holidays 2027 fall on a weekend and are observed on a weekday for staff who don’t normally work that day. Each employee still gets only one entitlement per holiday.
Can I decline an employee’s annual holiday request?
Employment New Zealand says employers must agree to an annual holiday request or have a good reason to decline. If you can’t agree on timing, you can require the employee to take annual holidays with at least 14 days’ notice. With New Zealand public holidays 2027 creating popular windows at Easter and Christmas, publish how competing requests will be decided, explain any decline promptly and offer alternative dates where you can.
Can I make staff take annual leave over a Christmas closedown?
If your workplace closes down for a set period every year, you can require staff to take annual holidays during it with at least 14 days’ notice. A public holiday that falls during annual holidays, such as Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December under New Zealand public holidays 2027, does not use an annual holiday day if the employee would otherwise have worked. They are paid for the public holiday instead.
Can I require employees to work on a public holiday?
You can require public holiday work only if it is an otherwise working day for the employee and their employment agreement says they must work. Staff working a public holiday must be paid at least time and a half. If the day is an otherwise working day, they also get an alternative holiday. When rostering for New Zealand public holidays 2027, check each employment agreement and confirm availability with the team early.
