All eight national long weekends in 2027
| Long weekend | Dates | Length |
|---|---|---|
| New Year | Fri 1 – Mon 4 Jan | 4 days |
| Waitangi Day | Sat 6 – Mon 8 Feb | 3 days |
| Easter | Fri 26 – Mon 29 Mar | 4 days |
| Anzac Day | Sat 24 – Mon 26 Apr | 3 days |
| King’s Birthday | Sat 5 – Mon 7 Jun | 3 days |
| Matariki | Fri 25 – Sun 27 Jun | 3 days |
| Labour Day | Sat 23 – Mon 25 Oct | 3 days |
| Christmas | Sat 25 – Tue 28 Dec | 4 days |
1. Christmas: Saturday 25 – Tuesday 28 December
Christmas Day and Boxing Day both fall on the weekend, so most workers get Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December off instead. That makes a four-day weekend. New Year’s Day 2028 holidays fall on Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 January. Take the three days in between (29–31 December) and you’ll have 11 days off in a row. This is the best value break of the year.
2. Easter: Friday 26 – Monday 29 March
Easter is early in 2027 and falls during Term 1, not the school holidays. That means less competition for holiday homes and flights than in years when Easter lines up with the school break. Easter Sunday is a restricted trading day, so many shops will be closed. Plan supplies ahead if you’re going somewhere remote. Southland gets a fifth day: Southland Anniversary Day is Easter Tuesday, 30 March.
3. New Year: Friday 1 – Monday 4 January
The year starts with a four-day weekend. New Year’s Day is a Friday, and the day after New Year’s Day (Saturday 2 January) moves to Monday 4 January. If you take Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 December 2026 as leave, you can be off from Christmas Day 2026 right through to 4 January.
4. Matariki: Friday 25 – Sunday 27 June
Matariki is a Friday holiday, so you get a three-day weekend that starts a day early. It’s the week before the July school holidays (from Saturday 3 July), and less than three weeks after King’s Birthday, which makes June 2027 a good month for short winter breaks. It’s also a good weekend to join a Matariki event as part of the Māori New Year.
5. Labour Day: Saturday 23 – Monday 25 October
Labour Day is the last national long weekend before Christmas. Two regions get more time off: Hawke’s Bay has its anniversary on Friday 22 October, which makes a four-day weekend, and Marlborough has its anniversary the following Monday, 1 November, which gives two long weekends in a row.
The three-day weekends
Waitangi Day (Saturday 6 February, observed Monday 8 February), Anzac Day (Sunday 25 April, observed Monday 26 April) and King’s Birthday (Monday 7 June) all give a standard Saturday-to-Monday weekend. In 2027, Anzac Day Monday is also the last day of the April school holidays.
The Waitangi and Anzac Day weekends exist because those holidays fell on a weekend and were moved to the Monday. See how Mondayisation works.
Regional long weekends in 2027
- Wellington: Sat 23 – Mon 25 January
- Auckland & Nelson: Sat 30 January – Mon 1 February
- Taranaki: Sat 6 – Mon 8 March
- Otago: Sat 20 – Mon 22 March
- South Canterbury: Sat 25 – Mon 27 September (first weekend of the spring school holidays)
- Hawke’s Bay: Fri 22 – Mon 25 October (4 days with Labour Day)
- Marlborough: Sat 30 October – Mon 1 November
- Canterbury (Show Day): Fri 12 – Sun 14 November
- Westland & Chatham Islands: Sat 27 – Mon 29 November
See every date for your area on the regional public holiday pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many long weekends are there in NZ in 2027?
There are eight national long weekends: New Year, Waitangi Day, Easter, Anzac Day, King’s Birthday, Matariki, Labour Day and Christmas. Most regions get one more from their anniversary day.
Which 2027 long weekends are four days?
New Year (1–4 January), Easter (26–29 March) and Christmas (25–28 December). Hawke’s Bay also gets a four-day Labour weekend, and Southland gets a five-day Easter.
Official information sources
General information only, not legal or employment advice. Always confirm with your employer.