New Zealand Long Weekends 2027
New Zealand has eight long weekends in 2027, and it is a bumper year precisely because so many holidays fall on a weekend. Five dates get Mondayised — the day after New Year’s Day, Waitangi Day, Anzac Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day — turning what would have been lost days into extra Mondays and Tuesdays. That gives a four-day New Year (Jan 1–4), a four-day Easter (Mar 26–29), a four-day Christmas (Dec 25–28) and five three-day weekends in between.
New Zealand long weekends in 2027
New Year
4 daysJan 1 – 4
New Year's Day on Friday plus the Monday Mondayisation of the day after — four days off.
Waitangi Day
3 daysFeb 6 – 8
Easter
4 daysMar 26 – 29
Good Friday and Easter Monday bracket the weekend — four days off.
Anzac Day
3 daysApr 24 – 26
King's Birthday
3 daysJun 5 – 7
Matariki
3 daysJun 25 – 27
Labour Day
3 daysOct 23 – 25
Christmas
4 daysDec 25 – 28
The Christmas weekend plus the Monday and Tuesday Mondayisations — four days in a row.
Mondayisation, and the "otherwise working day" catch
Mondayisation applies to five of New Zealand’s eleven public holidays: New Year’s Day and the day after, Waitangi Day, Anzac Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. If the date lands on a Saturday or Sunday, the paid day off transfers to the following Monday, or Tuesday if Monday is already taken. In 2027 that produces Monday January 4 (for Jan 2), Monday February 8 (Waitangi Day), Monday April 26 (Anzac Day), Monday December 27 (Christmas) and Tuesday December 28 (Boxing Day).
The rule has a condition most guides skip. Mondayisation only shifts the holiday for employees who would not normally work the weekend day in question. If Saturday is one of your regular working days, Waitangi Day 2027 is your public holiday on Saturday February 6, not the Monday — you do not get both. This matters in hospitality, retail and healthcare, where weekend rosters are the norm, and it means a "long weekend" on paper can be an ordinary Monday for a large share of the workforce.
Matariki, and the anniversary day your region adds
Matariki, the Māori New Year and New Zealand’s newest public holiday, is the only one whose date is set by an astronomical event — the rising of the Matariki (Pleiades) star cluster — and it is always placed on a Friday. In 2027 that is June 25, giving a guaranteed Friday-to-Sunday break (Jun 25–27) just three weeks after the King’s Birthday weekend (Jun 5–7). Those two, plus Labour Day on the fourth Monday of October (Oct 23–25), anchor the middle of the year.
On top of the eight national long weekends, every region observes its own Anniversary Day, and these are placed on a Monday so they reliably create a ninth (or tenth) break where you live. Auckland takes late January, Wellington around January 22, Nelson at the start of February, Otago in late March, Canterbury in mid-November and Southland after Easter. They are public holidays only within that region, so a Monday off in Auckland is a normal working day in Wellington — check your own region before booking.
Official sources & data
- Public holidaysVisit sourceEmployment New Zealand
Frequently asked questions
How many long weekends does New Zealand have in 2027?+
Eight: New Year (Jan 1–4, four days), Waitangi Day (Feb 6–8), Easter (Mar 26–29, four days), Anzac Day (Apr 24–26), King’s Birthday (Jun 5–7), Matariki (Jun 25–27), Labour Day (Oct 23–25) and Christmas (Dec 25–28, four days). Your regional anniversary day adds one more.
What is Mondayisation in New Zealand?+
A rule that transfers a public holiday to the following Monday (or Tuesday) when it falls on a weekend, so employees do not lose the day. It applies to New Year’s Day and the day after, Waitangi Day, Anzac Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day — but only for employees who would not otherwise work that weekend day.
Why does New Zealand have four days off at New Year 2027?+
New Year’s Day is Friday January 1, and January 2 — also a public holiday in New Zealand — falls on a Saturday, so it is Mondayised to Monday January 4. Friday, the weekend and the Monday together make a four-day break from January 1 to 4.
When is Matariki 2027?+
Friday June 25, 2027, giving a three-day weekend from June 25 to 27. Matariki is the Māori New Year and the only New Zealand public holiday whose date is set by an astronomical event; it is always placed on a Friday, so it reliably produces a long weekend every year.
Do regional anniversary days count as long weekends?+
Yes, but only where you live or work. Each region observes its Anniversary Day on a Monday — Auckland in late January, Wellington around January 22, Otago in late March, Canterbury in mid-November — so it creates a genuine three-day weekend locally while the rest of the country works as normal.
How can I stretch the 2027 New Zealand long weekends?+
Easter into Anzac Day is not close enough to bridge, so the best single move is the year-end: take December 29, 30 and 31 off and the four-day Christmas block runs to Sunday January 2. In June, one leave day on Friday June 4 turns King’s Birthday into four days (Jun 4–7).