New Zealand
Public Holidays 2026

New Zealand has 11 national public holidays in 2026, plus a separate regional anniversary day for wherever you happen to be. A few of them — Christmas Day, Good Friday and Anzac Day morning — legally close most shops, and four of them shift to a different day whenever they land on a weekend, under a rule called Mondayisation. This guide covers every date, what actually closes, the surcharge you'll likely see at cafes, and how to use the long weekends to your advantage when planning a trip.

National Public Holidays — 2026

These 11 holidays apply everywhere in New Zealand. Where a date shifts under Mondayisation (explained below), both the actual and observed date are shown.

How Mondayisation Works

Mondayisation moves a public holiday that falls on a weekend so employees still get the day off, but the rule works differently depending on which holiday it is:

• Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and 2 January: if the holiday lands on a weekend and an employee wouldn't normally work that day, it shifts to the following Monday (or Tuesday, if both weekend days are affected). If they would normally work that day, it's observed on the actual date.
• Waitangi Day and Anzac Day: if either falls on a weekend and an employee wouldn't normally work that day, it moves to the following Monday. Employees who would normally work the weekend day don't get the shift.

In practice, this means the "holiday" you see change on a calendar depends partly on individual work patterns — but for travellers, what matters most is which day businesses actually treat as the holiday, which is usually the Monday for a weekend-landing date like Anzac Day or Boxing Day in 2026.

Regional Anniversary Days

On top of the 11 national holidays, every region has its own anniversary day — a public holiday only within that region, usually observed on the Monday closest to the actual date. If you're travelling between regions, this can mean one town is closed for the day while the next one over is operating normally.

Regional anniversary dates are set locally and occasionally adjusted by councils, so double-check with the specific region if your travel plans depend on it.

What Actually Closes

Most New Zealand public holidays don't force businesses to close — shops can open if they choose to, though many smaller operators do close for the day. Four days are different: the law requires nearly all shops to stay shut.

On the other national holidays — New Year's Day, Waitangi Day, King's Birthday, Matariki, Labour Day and Boxing Day — shops are free to open, and most do. Supermarkets generally open with adjusted hours; government departments, banks and many smaller businesses close.

The Public Holiday Surcharge

Expect to see a surcharge added to your bill at cafes, restaurants and bars on public holidays — the Restaurant Association puts the typical rate at around 15%. It's legal as long as the business tells you about it before you pay: a sign at the door, a note on the menu or website, or the staff telling you when you order all count. If a surcharge wasn't disclosed anywhere, you can raise it with the business, and ultimately with the Commerce Commission. It's worth checking the menu or asking before you order on any public holiday, since the surcharge isn't always obvious from the printed price.

Planning Around Public Holidays

• Long weekends get busy: Labour Day, King's Birthday and Easter all create three- or four-day weekends that New Zealanders use to travel domestically. Book accommodation and car hire well ahead if your trip lines up with one.
• Anzac Day morning is genuinely different: unlike most holidays, shops are legally closed until 1pm on 25 April, not just quieter than usual — plan breakfast and morning activities around this if you're travelling that day.
• Regional anniversary days are easy to miss: if you're road-tripping between regions, you could hit a quiet town on its anniversary day without realising, so check ahead if you're relying on a specific shop or service being open.
• Christmas and New Year is the peak of peak season: accommodation, car hire and flights are at their most expensive and most likely to sell out in the two weeks spanning Christmas Day to New Year's Day — book months ahead if travelling then.

Frequently Asked Questions about NZ Public Holidays