Is today a public holiday in New Zealand?

Holidays Act 2003, Mondayisation & Financial Settlement Rails

In New Zealand, statutory public holidays are codified under the Holidays Act 2003, administered by Employment New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment - MBIE). New Zealand workers are legally entitled to 12 paid public holidays per calendar year: 11 nationwide statutory holidays and 1 regional Provincial Anniversary Day.

Following the enactment of the Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act 2022, New Zealand recognizes Matariki (the Māori New Year) as a permanent national public holiday. The date shifts annually between late June and mid-July in accordance with the rising of the Matariki star cluster determined by the maramataka (the Māori lunar calendar).

The Mechanics of 'Mondayisation' (Section 45A)

Under Section 45A of the Holidays Act 2003 (as amended by the Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Act 2013), New Zealand operates an individualized rollover mechanism known as Mondayisation. Unlike blanket rollover systems, Mondayisation depends strictly on whether the calendar holiday falls on an employee's 'otherwise working day':

• If the employee normally works on the weekend: The holiday is observed on the actual calendar day (Saturday or Sunday). The employee does not receive the following Monday off.
• If the weekend is not an otherwise working day: The holiday transfers to the following Monday (or Tuesday if the Monday is already a public holiday).

In 2026, two major national holidays trigger Mondayisation:

• ANZAC Day (Saturday, 25 April 2026): For employees who standardly work Monday through Friday, the statutory public holiday transfers to Monday, 27 April 2026.
• Boxing Day (Saturday, 26 December 2026): Following Christmas Day on Friday, Boxing Day is Mondayised to Monday, 28 December 2026 for standard weekday employees, creating an unbroken four-day national weekend.

Working on a Public Holiday: Time-and-a-Half + Day in Lieu

Under New Zealand employment law, an employer can only require an employee to work on a public holiday if the holiday falls on an otherwise working day and the employment agreement contains an explicit clause requiring holiday shifts.

When an employee works on a public holiday, statutory compensation is governed by a two-part rule under Sections 50 and 56 of the Holidays Act 2003:

1. Time and a Half (Section 50): The employee must be paid at least 1.5 times their relevant daily pay or average daily pay for every hour worked on the holiday.
2. Alternative Holiday / Day in Lieu (Section 56): If the public holiday fell on a day that would have otherwise been a working day for that worker, they are also entitled to a full paid alternative holiday (a day off in lieu), regardless of how few hours were actually worked. If the day was not an otherwise working day, they receive time and a half, but no alternative holiday.

Provincial Anniversary Days (The 12th Holiday)

In addition to the 11 national statutory holidays, each employee observes one Provincial Anniversary Day based on the historical founding day of their employment province (e.g., Auckland Anniversary on the Monday nearest 29 January, Wellington Anniversary on the Monday nearest 22 January, or Canterbury Show Day in November). The anniversary observed is determined by the geographic location where the employee regularly performs their work, not the location of the employer's head office.

Easter Sunday: The Shop Trading Exception

Under the Holidays Act 2003, Easter Sunday is not an official public holiday (while Good Friday and Easter Monday are statutory holidays). However, retail operations on Easter Sunday are heavily regulated under the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990. Territorial city and district councils have the authority to adopt local Easter Sunday shop trading policies. Furthermore, under Section 5G, retail workers have an unconditional statutory right to refuse work on Easter Sunday without giving a reason or suffering employment detriment.

Banking Clearing Rails: RBNZ ESAS & 365-Day Retail Settlement

Wholesale interbank financial infrastructure is operated by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) through the Exchange Settlement Account System (ESAS). Wholesale RTGS transactions pause on national public holidays.

However, domestic retail banking follows a continuous schedule coordinated by Payments New Zealand:

• 365-Day Electronic Processing: Retail account-to-account payments (including direct credits, automatic payments, and mobile banking transfers) clear across participating financial institutions (such as ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank, and Westpac) 365 days a year, between 9:00 AM and midnight.
• Public Holiday Clearance: Unlike traditional international rails, electronic payments between New Zealand accounts settle normally on Christmas Day, Good Friday, and all public holidays. Check processing turnaround windows using our Working Days Calculator.

Financial Markets (NZX Trading Schedules)

The New Zealand's Exchange (NZX) halts cash equity and debt market trading on all 11 national statutory holidays and their official Mondayised dates (including Monday, 27 April and Monday, 28 December 2026). Crucially, the NZX remains fully open for trading on regional Provincial Anniversary Days (such as Auckland and Wellington anniversaries), as the capital market functions on a single nationwide calendar.

New Zealand Payment Rails, Exchange Cutoffs & Statutory Pay Matrix (2026–2027)

When a statutory public holiday or in-lieu bank holiday occurs in New Zealand, commercial banking counters, central bank real-time gross settlement (RTGS) rails, and retail instant payment systems follow distinct operational rules:

Key 2026 vs. 2027 Holiday Date Shifts & Bridge-Day Planning in New Zealand

Because fixed calendar holidays shift one weekday forward between 2026 and 2027 (and movable lunar or liturgical holidays shift by 10 to 15 days), HR teams, payroll processors, and employees in New Zealand should account for the following 2026–2027 date comparisons and leave-bridge opportunities: