Public holidays in New Zealand

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Infobox holiday Public holidays in New Zealand (also known as statutory holidays) consist of a variety of cultural, national, and religious holidays that are legislated in New Zealand. Workers can get a maximum of 12 public holidays (eleven national holidays plus one provincial holiday) and a minimum of 20 annual leave days a year.

History

Bank holidays in New Zealand originated with a celebration of St Andrew's Day in 1857.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nationwide public holidays began with the Bank Holidays Act 1873, which was based on the UK Bank Holidays Act 1871. Initially there was some resistance to it.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Anniversary days celebrated, from as early as 1843, the first arrivals of settlers in each province.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By 1846 the Wellington Anniversary Day was described as having the appearance of an English Fair.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Half-holidays, or early closing days, were widespread from the 1900s to 1970s. They allowed 6 day weeks in shops and offices to include a half day off from 1 pm, on a day set by the local council.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From the late 1840s the practice spread from Wellington and Christchurch. In the 1870s many towns adopted shopping half holidays, usually a Wednesday Thursday, or Saturday. From 1873 female factory workers had a half-holiday from 2 pm on Saturdays, from 1881 under-18s got it and, after 1891, the holiday started from 1 pm. The Shops and Shop Assistants Act 1892 gave shop assistants half-holidays starting at 1 pm, the shops themselves also being closed from 1894. From 1907 electors could set the day in local elections.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Matariki

Template:Further In 2006, Māori Language Commissioner Haami Piripi proposed to make Matariki an official holiday.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After public discussion, in 2009 a bill was introduced to make Matariki a public holiday; however, the bill was voted down at its first reading.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on 7 September 2020 that her government would create a new public holiday to celebrate Matariki should the Labour Party win the 2020 general election.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Labour won the election, and in February 2021 Ardern announced that Matariki would become an annual public holiday with a variable date (June or July).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Matariki Public Holiday Bill received royal assent on 11 April 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first Matariki public holiday was observed on 24 June 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

National public holidays

Statutory holidays are legislated by the Holidays Act 2003.<ref name="2003act" />

Date	Holiday<ref name="2003act">Template:Cite web</ref>	Trading restriction
1 JanuaryTemplate:Efn	New Year's Day	No
2 JanuaryTemplate:Efn	Day after New Year's Day	No
6 FebruaryTemplate:Efn	Waitangi Day	No
The Friday before Easter Sunday	Good Friday	Yes
The day after Easter Sunday	Easter Monday	No
25 AprilTemplate:Efn	Anzac Day	Yes (until 1 pm)
The first Monday in June	King's Birthday	No
The closest Friday to the Tangaroa lunar calendar period of the correct lunar calendar month.<ref name="MatarikiDates">Template:Cite web</ref>	Matariki	No
The fourth Monday in October	Labour Day	No
25 DecemberTemplate:Efn	Christmas Day	Yes
26 DecemberTemplate:Efn	Boxing Day	No

Mondayised

The holidays that fall on Saturday or Sunday are "Mondayised". Those that fall on a Monday through to Friday are commemorated on their proper date.

If the holiday falls on a weekend, and an employee does not work on the weekends, then the holiday is transferred to the following Monday or Tuesday. If the employee works on the weekends, then the holiday is taken on that day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Christmas Day and New Years' Day have always been Mondayised holidays, and from 2013 Waitangi Day and Anzac Day are also Mondayised.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Waitangi Day and Anzac Day are always commemorated on the exact date, as they remember specific historical events. The statutory holidays, however, are Mondayised.

Pay

All workers who work on a public holiday must be paid time-and-a-half, and if it would otherwise be a normal working day for them, be given an alternative holiday (known as a day in lieu). Payment for the alternative holiday is equivalent relevant daily pay for the particular alternative day taken, had they have worked it.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Restricted trading days

There are special trading restrictions on Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday (not a public holiday) and before 1 pm on Anzac Day. On those days, generally only dairies, petrol stations, pharmacies, restaurants, cafés, and shops within an airport or train station may open. All other shops including supermarkets must close.

Some shops open each year despite the law and are fined.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Certain areas have exemptions allowing them to trade one or more of the restricted days. These areas include Parnell Road in Parnell, Auckland, Paihia, Picton, and Queenstown.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Shop Trading Hours Commission decided where exemptions were to apply but it was shut down in 1990, leaving the existing exemptions in place but no longer having a mechanism for other places to apply. In 2016, regional councils were given the power to set Easter Sunday trading rules in their area.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Around 44 councils, covering around one-third of the population, have set policy allowing trading on Easter Sunday.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Shops that can open on the restricted days are still subject to conditions and subject to any other law to the contrary. For example, alcohol can only be sold with a meal or to people staying on the premises overnight.<ref>Template:Cite act</ref>

Provincial anniversary days

In addition to the eleven national public holidays, section 44 of the Holidays Act 2003 specifies as public holidays the anniversary days of each province (or the day locally observed as that day) to celebrate the founding days or landing days of the first colonists of the various colonial provinces.<ref name="2003act" />Template:Rp These are only celebrated within each province, not nationwide. Exact dates of the various provinces' anniversary days are not specifically stated in the act, and are instead determined by historical convention and local custom. The regions covered are set by provincial district (as they stood when abolished in 1876), plus Southland, the Chatham Islands, South Canterbury, and Northland. The actual observance days can vary even within each province and is due to local custom, convenience or the proximity of seasonal events or other holidays and may differ from the official observance day.

Provincial District	includes	Actual Day	Observance Day
Wellington Province	Wellington, Manawatū, Whanganui	22 January	Monday nearest to the actual day
Auckland Province	Waikato, King Country, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne/East Coast	29 January	Monday nearest to the actual day
Northland	Whangārei	29 January	Monday nearest to the actual day
Nelson	Nelson, Tasman, Buller and parts of North Canterbury	1 February	Monday nearest to the actual day
Otago Province	Dunedin, Queenstown	23 March	Monday nearest to the actual day (this can vary if it would otherwise coincide with Easter Monday)
Southland	Invercargill, Bluff, Milford Sound, Fiordland	25 March<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Easter Tuesday<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Taranaki (New Plymouth)	New Plymouth	31 March	Second Monday in March – to avoid Easter
South Canterbury	Timaru	25 September	Fourth Monday in September — Dominion Day
Hawke's Bay	Napier, Hastings	1 November	Friday before Labour Day
Marlborough	Blenheim, Picton	1 November	First Monday after Labour Day
Canterbury	Christchurch, Ashburton	11 November	Christchurch Show Day (North Canterbury)
			Christchurch Show Day (Central Canterbury)
			Second Friday after the first Tuesday in November (Christchurch City) — to coincide with the Canterbury A&P Show.
Chatham Islands	Waitangi	30 November	Monday nearest to the actual day
Westland	Hokitika, Greymouth	1 December	Monday nearest to the actual day (Greymouth)
			Varies (outside Greymouth)

Annual leave and non-working days

In addition to the above holidays, from 1 April 2007 all workers must be given four weeks annual leave, often taken in the summer Christmas – New Year period.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> In many industries there is a Christmas – New Year shutdown of business. With only three working days between Christmas and New Year, many workers take this time off, as they can have a ten-day summer break for only three days leave. Many retail outlets also hold sales at this time to stimulate business while others close down due to low demand for services. The days from 25 December to 15 January are not considered to be working days for official government purposes. The public counters of most government departments do open on weekdays during this period, though often only a limited service may be available.Template:Citation needed

School holidays

State schools have a 4-term year, of about ten weeks each and usually with a two-week holiday between terms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although standard term dates are set by the Ministry of Education each year, schools can vary these to account for local holidays and school closures due to weather. The first term commences in late January or early February. Occasionally, Easter holidays and/or Anzac Day may fall within these holidays. The holiday between terms two and three is generally known as the midwinter breakTemplate:According to whom and occurs in July, while that between terms 3 and 4 occurs in late September, early October. Term four ends in mid December, generally a week or two before Christmas, though for many senior students this term ends after their final NCEA examination in late November or early December.Template:Cn From time to time, state schools are entitled to schedule a "teacher only" day for teacher training and administration. These days count as a public holiday for the students of that particular school -- who do not attend on that day -- but not for the teachers or the broader non-student population.

One-off public holidays

A "one off" national public holiday, known as Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day, was declared by the Prime Minister for 26 September 2022 to allow people to pay their respects for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch of New Zealand.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> South Canterbury Anniversary Day, which was due to be observed on 26 September, was moved to be observed on Friday 11 November.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Proposals for new holidays

Following the death of Sir Edmund Hillary in 2008, the Green Party proposed a public holiday in his honour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There is also support in some quarters for the old Dominion Day holiday to be revived as "New Zealand Day".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Proposals for abolition of holidays

Template:Unreferenced section From the 1950s to the 1970s it was frequently suggested that the Provincial Anniversary holidays be abolished, as the Provinces ceased to exist in 1876.

Before Waitangi Day was made a national public holiday it was sometimes suggested that a Waitangi Day holiday should replace the anniversary days, and the Waitangi Day Act 1960 made provision for this. Waitangi Day was eventually made an additional holiday and the provincial holidays lived on, primarily because most regions had long established events on those weekends.

See also

• List of unofficial observances in New Zealand

External links

• Employment New Zealand Public holidays
• Employment New Zealand Public holidays - Public holidays and anniversary dates
• Employment New Zealand Public holidays in iCalendar format
• School Terms and Holidays, Ministry of Education