At some point before the new year, you’ll open the calendar and start counting Fridays. The good news is that 2027 gives you plenty to count.
Here’s the short version of NZ public holidays in 2027: all 11 land on a weekday if you work Monday to Friday. Five of them start out on a weekend, then slide to a Monday or Tuesday, which is what Kiwis call Mondayisation. This guide covers every date, how the weekend rule works, the best long weekends to travel, and where to go around New Zealand for each one.
The full list: NZ public holidays 2027
Here’s the 2027 public holiday calendar NZ workers can screenshot. The last column is the day you get off if you work Monday to Friday, and the bold dates are the five that move.
Holiday | Actual date | Day | Observed date |
|---|---|---|---|
New Year’s Day | 1 Jan | Fri | Fri 1 Jan |
Day after New Year’s Day | 2 Jan | Sat | Mon 4 Jan |
Waitangi Day | 6 Feb | Sat | Mon 8 Feb |
Good Friday | 26 Mar | Fri | Fri 26 Mar |
Easter Monday | 29 Mar | Mon | Mon 29 Mar |
Anzac Day | 25 Apr | Sun | Mon 26 Apr |
King’s Birthday | 7 Jun | Mon | Mon 7 Jun |
Matariki | 25 Jun | Fri | Fri 25 Jun |
Labour Day | 25 Oct | Mon | Mon 25 Oct |
Christmas Day | 25 Dec | Sat | Mon 27 Dec |
Boxing Day | 26 Dec | Sun | Tue 28 Dec |
Mondayisation explained: how the weekend rule works
Mondayisation sounds like a made-up word, but the idea is simple. When a public holiday lands on a Saturday or Sunday, it moves to the next working day. In 2027 that covers the day after New Year’s Day, Waitangi Day, Anzac Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and the Christmas and New Year ones can shift to a Tuesday as well.
There’s one catch. The move only applies if you wouldn’t normally work that weekend day. If your roster includes Saturdays or Sundays, you get the holiday on the actual date instead, so check with your employer before you book anything. These are the Mondayised holidays 2027 hands you, and they’re why Waitangi Day, Anzac Day and Christmas all turn into proper long weekends.
Long weekends 2027 NZ: dates and getaway ideas
Hobbiton Movie Set
You get eight long weekends in NZ in 2027 without spending a day of leave. Six are below, Matariki gets its own section after that, and Christmas sits in the leave hacks.
New Year: Friday 1 to Monday 4 January
Summer is in full swing, the schools are still on holiday, and half the country is heading for a beach. You get four days, because the day after New Year’s Day falls on Saturday 2 January and moves to Monday 4 January.
The Coromandel is the classic pick. Hot Water Beach lets you dig your own thermal pool at low tide, and you should expect slow traffic out of Auckland on the Friday, so leave early.
Waitangi Day 2027: Saturday 6 to Monday 8 February
Waitangi Day marks the 1840 signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and in 2027 it falls on a Saturday. Most people get Monday 8 February off instead, so you end up with a three-day weekend. If you live in Auckland, it’s the second long weekend in eight days, after Auckland Anniversary Day on Monday 1 February.
The Treaty Grounds at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands hold the main commemorations, roughly a 3.5-hour drive north of Auckland. Staying closer to the city? The Hobbiton Movie Set is the easy day trip, about two hours’ drive south.
The Hobbiton Express day tour is NZ$488.75 a ticket, with a two-ticket minimum. That covers hotel pickup, a guided walk through the set, a drink at the Green Dragon and a buffet lunch. The catch is the length: it’s an 8-hour-15-minute day, with about two hours on the road each way.
Easter 2027 NZ: Friday 26 to Monday 29 March
Easter is the long weekend that needs a bit of planning, mostly because the shops are shut. Almost all of them close on Good Friday (26 March) and Easter Sunday (28 March), apart from places with a local exemption. Easter Monday is 29 March, so you get four days in total.
Klook Tip: Do your grocery shop on Thursday 25 March, and book any restaurant dinners ahead.
Four days is enough for a short hop abroad. Sydney, Nadi in Fiji and Rarotonga are each about three to four hours from Auckland by air, so you still get a couple of full beach days. Staying home instead? Add four days of leave and you’ve got 10 days off, which the leave hacks below explain.
Anzac Day: Saturday 24 to Monday 26 April
Anzac Day falls on Sunday 25 April, so the public holiday moves to Monday 26 April. Dawn services still happen on the 25th itself. The April school holidays run from 10 to 26 April, which makes this the last weekend of the school break, and the roads and attractions will be busy.
A day trip is easier than booking a stay. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves boat tour costs NZ$320.85 for a 7-hour day with hotel pickup, but most of that is driving, so the cave visit itself lasts about 45 minutes to an hour.
King’s Birthday 2027 NZ: Saturday 5 to Monday 7 June
King’s Birthday is always the first Monday in June, so in 2027 it’s Monday 7 June. Queenstown starts to feel like ski season around now, but the snow doesn’t always keep to the calendar. The Remarkables’ 2026 season was scheduled to open on 13 June, so this weekend can land just before opening day. Check the season dates before you book flights.
If the lifts aren’t running, Queenstown still works for a long weekend, and the gondola at Skyline Queenstown takes you up above the town for wide views.
Labour Day 2027 NZ: Saturday 23 to Monday 25 October
Labour Day 2027 NZ is Monday 25 October, the fourth Monday of the month, so you get a three-day weekend in the middle of spring. Schools are back in term (term 4 starts on 11 October), so you’re not competing with school-holiday families.
Milford Sound is the big day out from Queenstown. The Milford Sound small-group tour starts from NZ$424, takes up to 16 people, and includes lunch and 1 hour 45 minutes at Milford Sound. It’s an early start, with hotel pickups from about 6:15 AM, and it finishes in Te Anau, roughly two hours’ drive from Queenstown, so line up your ride back or plan a night there. Pack a rain jacket, because when it rains, waterfalls appear all down the cliffs.
Matariki 2027: the holiday that always lands on a Friday
Matariki is the Māori new year, and it’s the one public holiday that’s uniquely New Zealand. The date moves every year with the rising of the Matariki star cluster in mid-winter, but it always falls on a Friday. Matariki 2027 is Friday 25 June, which gives you a three-day weekend with no Monday shuffle needed.
Rotorua is the natural fit. Te Puia sits in the Whakarewarewa geothermal valley, home to Pōhutu Geyser, the largest active geyser in the southern hemisphere. It’s also home to the NZ Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, where students learn carving and weaving.
The Te Puia day pass starts at NZ$78.75 for the 90-minute guided experience, and the site is open 8:45 AM to 5 PM with last entry at 4 PM. It’s about 2.5 km from central Rotorua, so you’ll need the Rotorua City Ride bus (route 2) or a ride.
Klook Tip: Arrive 15 minutes before your guided session and swap your voucher for a physical ticket first.
Where to stay on your long weekend
DoubleTree by Hilton Queenstown
Here are four stays that match the trips above. Prices are from-rates seen in October 2026, so expect them to climb on holiday weekends.
DoubleTree by Hilton Queenstown
DoubleTree by Hilton Queenstown starts from around NZ$245 a night, and it suits ski-trip couples and families who want lake views and a quieter base. The hotel lists ski storage and ski gear hire, and Queenstown Airport is 1.5 km away. The catch is the location: it’s a 15-minute drive from Skyline and town, and breakfast is about NZ$36 extra.
Address: 79 Peninsula Road, Kawarau Village, Queenstown
Check-in: 3 PM | Check-out: 11 AM
Millennium Hotel Queenstown
Millennium Hotel Queenstown starts from around NZ$343 a night, and it’s the pick if you’d rather walk everywhere. Queenstown Beach is about 500 m away, and Queenstown Gardens and the mall are around 600 m. Two things to plan for: parking costs NZ$25 a night, and check-out is an early 10 AM.
Address: 32 Frankton Road, Queenstown
Check-in: 2 PM | Check-out: 10 AM
Sudima Lake Rotorua
Sudima Lake Rotorua starts from around NZ$231 a night and suits families on a Matariki trip. Parking is free, Polynesian Spa is 200 m away, and Tamaki Maori Village is about 400 m. It’s an older property, opened in 1976 and renovated in 2023, so don’t expect a brand-new fit-out.
Address: 1000 Eruera Street, Rotorua
Check-in: 2 PM | Check-out:11 AM
Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
Address: 21 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland
Check-in: 3 PM | Check-out: 11 AM
Leave hacks: 10 days off for 4, 11 for 3
A little leave goes a long way in 2027. Two stretches stand out.
Easter: 10 days for 4 days of leave
Book Tuesday 30 March to Friday 2 April, and you’re off from Friday 26 March to Sunday 4 April. That’s 10 days for 4 days of leave. In Southland, the anniversary day lands on Tuesday 30 March, so locals only need 3 days.
The catch is school: term 1 runs to 9 April, so families will need to sort school absences.
Christmas holidays 2027 NZ: the biggest win of the year
Christmas Day is Saturday 25 December and Boxing Day is Sunday 26 December, so you get Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December off. Book Wednesday 29 to Friday 31 December. New Year’s Day and the day after fall on a weekend in 2028, so they’re observed on Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 January. That adds up to 11 days off for 3 days of leave, from Saturday 25 December to Tuesday 4 January.
Christmas lands in summer here, so it’s beach and barbecue weather. Check if your workplace has a closedown over this stretch first, since that can change how many days you need to book.
Regional anniversary days 2027
Every region has its own anniversary day, so the long weekend you get isn’t always the one your friend in another city gets. They follow the old provinces, not today’s council boundaries, so check which one covers your town. Here are the ones people search for most:
- Wellington: Monday 25 January
- Auckland: Monday 1 February
- Canterbury (Christchurch Show Day): Friday 12 November
- Hawke’s Bay: Friday 22 October, which turns Labour weekend into four days
- Southland: Tuesday 30 March, which stretches Easter to five days
Taranaki, Nelson, Marlborough, Westland and Otago have their own days too. Otago has no single day of local observance, so you’ll need to check your employment agreement or workplace custom. The full list is on Employment NZ’s official list, which is worth bookmarking.
Booking tips: ferries, flights and school holidays
Ferries are the first thing to sell out. Interislander is running with two ships, Kaitaki and Kaiārahi, until new ferries arrive in 2029, and it warns that Waitangi Day, Easter, Matariki, King’s Birthday and Labour Weekend book out faster, especially for cars. Bluebridge runs the same Wellington to Picton route in about 3.5 hours.
Klook Tip: Book your Cook Strait ferry the day you lock in your leave, and have a second sailing time in mind in case your first choice is full.
For short-haul hops to Australia, Fiji or Rarotonga, book the first flight out on the Friday or Saturday and the last flight back on the Monday. A morning departure gives you the whole first day on the ground, and that matters on a three-day weekend.
Check the school calendar before you lock anything in. Term 1 ends on 9 April, term 2 runs from 27 April to 2 July, term 3 runs from 19 July to 24 September, and term 4 starts on 11 October and ends by 17 December. That means Waitangi Day, Easter, King’s Birthday, Matariki and Labour Day all land in term time. Only the Anzac weekend and New Year overlap with school holidays, so those are the two to book early.
FAQs about NZ public holidays 2027
How many public holidays does NZ have in 2027?
NZ has 11 national public holidays in 2027. Five fall on a weekend, but they move to a weekday for Monday-to-Friday workers, so you still get all 11 days off. Your regional anniversary day comes on top of that, which makes 12 depending on where you live.
When is Matariki 2027?
Matariki 2027 is on Friday 25 June. The holiday always falls on a Friday, so you get a built-in three-day weekend from 25 to 27 June. Schools are still in term, and the July holidays start a week later on 3 July.
What are the long weekends in NZ in 2027?
NZ has eight long weekends in 2027: New Year (1 to 4 Jan), Waitangi Day (6 to 8 Feb), Easter (26 to 29 Mar), Anzac Day (24 to 26 Apr), King’s Birthday (5 to 7 Jun), Matariki (25 to 27 Jun), Labour Day (23 to 25 Oct) and Christmas (25 to 28 Dec). New Year, Easter and Christmas run four days, and the rest run three. Your regional anniversary day can add another one.
Is Waitangi Day Mondayised in 2027?
Yes, Waitangi Day is Mondayised in 2027. It falls on Saturday 6 February, so most people get Monday 8 February off instead. If your roster includes Saturdays, your day off stays on the 6th.
What does Mondayised mean in NZ?
Mondayised means a public holiday that falls on a weekend moves to the next working day. It applies to Waitangi Day and Anzac Day, and to the Christmas and New Year holidays, which can land on a Monday or a Tuesday. It only applies if you wouldn’t normally work that weekend day, so shift workers keep the actual date.
When is Auckland Anniversary Day 2027?
Auckland Anniversary Day 2027 is Monday 1 February. The actual anniversary is 29 January, but the holiday is observed on the nearest Monday. That puts it exactly a week before the Waitangi Day long weekend.
When is Labour Day 2027 in New Zealand?
Labour Day 2027 is Monday 25 October, the fourth Monday of the month. That makes Labour weekend 23 to 25 October, and Hawke’s Bay gets a fourth day because its anniversary is the Friday before. Schools are in term, so it’s a quieter weekend than Easter or Anzac.
Your 2027 calendar, sorted
Start with the biggest win: block out 25 December to 4 January and add your 3 days of leave. Then pick the one break you’re most excited about. Maybe it’s Matariki in Rotorua, where you could spend Friday 25 June in a steaming geothermal valley with the long weekend still ahead.
Lock in the flights or the ferry first, then add a tour or a hotel for the days that matter most. That way, the NZ public holidays 2027 hands you turn into trips instead of just days off.
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