New Zealand has 11 national public holidays each year — but how you get paid for them depends on whether you work, whether the day is one you'd "otherwise work", and whether the holiday falls on a weekend. Here's the full 2026 and 2027 calendar, the four core pay rules, and a worked example so the cheque on your next ANZAC Day or Christmas pay actually adds up.
These are the 11 national public holidays as published by the New Zealand Government. Note that ANZAC Day, Waitangi Day and the Christmas/New Year cluster all behave a little differently when they land on a weekend — see the Mondayisation section below.
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thursday 1 January | Friday 1 January |
| Day after New Year's Day | Friday 2 January | Sat 2 Jan (obs. Mon 4 Jan) |
| Waitangi Day | Friday 6 February | Sat 6 Feb (obs. Mon 8 Feb) |
| Good Friday | Friday 3 April | Friday 26 March |
| Easter Monday | Monday 6 April | Monday 29 March |
| ANZAC Day | Sat 25 April (obs. Mon 27 April) | Sun 25 April (obs. Mon 26 April) |
| King's Birthday | Monday 1 June | Monday 7 June |
| Matariki | Friday 10 July | Friday 25 June |
| Labour Day | Monday 26 October | Monday 25 October |
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December | Sat 25 Dec (obs. Mon 27 Dec) |
| Boxing Day | Sat 26 Dec (obs. Mon 28 Dec) | Sun 26 Dec (obs. Tue 28 Dec) |
Source: govt.nz. Regional anniversary days (Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and so on) are set by individual councils and aren't included here.
Public holiday pay in New Zealand is governed by the Holidays Act 2003. There are really only four scenarios that matter for an employee, and which one applies depends on two questions: did I actually work that day? and is it a day I would normally work?
You get a paid day off at your relevant daily pay (broadly, what you would have earned if you'd worked your normal hours that day). This is by far the most common scenario — for example, a Monday-to-Friday office worker on Labour Day.
You get nothing extra. The holiday simply passes you by. For example, a part-timer who only works Tuesdays and Thursdays gets no extra pay when Labour Day (a Monday) rolls around. They didn't lose a working day, so there's nothing to compensate.
This is the big one. You're paid at least time-and-a-half for every hour worked, AND you get a paid alternative day ("day in lieu") to take later. So a normal 8-hour shift on a public holiday earns you 12 hours' pay plus another full paid day off. Your employment agreement may specify a higher rate (some agreements pay double-time) but the legal floor is 1.5x.
You're still paid at least time-and-a-half for the hours worked, but you do not get an alternative day. This typically applies to casual or shift workers picking up a one-off public holiday shift.
Plain-English summary: If it would have been a working day for you, the public holiday is your paid day. If you give it up to work, you get paid 1.5x AND an extra day off later. The alternative day is the bit most people forget — it's worth quietly checking your payslip after each public holiday shift.
Maia is a hospitality worker on $32 per hour. She normally works Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. ANZAC Day in 2026 falls on a Saturday (her normal working day) and is observed on the following Monday (also her normal working day). Her boss asks her to work both days.
| Day | Hours | Rate | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 25 Apr (actual ANZAC Day) | 8 | $48.00 (1.5x) | $384.00 |
| Mon 27 Apr (observance) (see below) | 8 | $32.00 (normal) | $256.00 |
| Total wages | 16 | $640.00 | |
| Plus alternative day (taken later) | 8 | $32.00 | $256.00 |
Why is Saturday the time-and-a-half day and Monday the normal-pay day? Because Maia only gets one ANZAC Day — and the rule is that the holiday "moves" only if it would otherwise fall on a non-working day. Since Saturday IS one of Maia's normal working days, that's her ANZAC Day. The Monday observance only applies to people who don't normally work Saturdays, who then get the holiday on the Monday instead.
If Maia had instead been a Monday-to-Friday office worker, the rule would flip: her ANZAC Day would be Monday 27 April (the observance), she'd be paid time-and-a-half plus an alternative day for working it, and the actual Saturday would just be a normal weekend.
"Mondayisation" is the rule that prevents people losing their public holiday just because the calendar drops it on a weekend. It applies to five of the eleven national holidays: New Year's Day, Day after New Year's Day, Waitangi Day, ANZAC Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The principle is straightforward, but the wording matters:
The 2026/27 calendar is unusually Mondayisation-heavy because Christmas Day 2027 and ANZAC Day 2026 both land on weekends. If you're in retail, hospitality or healthcare and your normal roster includes weekends, double-check your payslip — payroll systems sometimes apply the wrong day.
Three errors come up again and again on payslips after a public holiday:
If you worked on a public holiday that was a normal working day for you, your payroll should have added an alternative day to your leave balance. It's easy to miss because it's a separate balance from your annual leave — check both. The alternative day must eventually be taken as a paid day off; it can't legally be cashed out unless you've held it unused for 12 months and both parties agree.
"Time-and-a-half" applies to your relevant daily pay or average daily pay, not just your base hourly rate. If you regularly earn allowances, commissions or productivity bonuses on that day type, those should typically be included in the 1.5x calculation. A salaried employee should still get 1.5x for hours actually worked on the holiday.
Some payroll systems automatically apply the Monday observance to everyone, when in reality weekend-shift workers should get the holiday on the actual weekend day. If you worked a Saturday that was the actual ANZAC Day or Christmas Day, you should have been paid time-and-a-half for that day — not the following Monday at normal rates.
If something looks off, talk to your payroll/HR team first with the specific date and figures in hand. If it's not resolved, Employment New Zealand has a free advisory service on 0800 20 90 20.
No. Time-and-a-half (1.5x) is the minimum legal floor. Some employment agreements and collective agreements specify double-time (2x), often for healthcare, hospitality or transport — but unless your contract says so, your employer only has to pay 1.5x.
Yes. If a public holiday falls on a day that would have been a working day for you, but you're on annual leave, the day is paid as a public holiday (not deducted from your annual leave balance). Effectively your annual leave is "extended" by one day.
The Holidays Act doesn't apply to genuine independent contractors — there's no legal entitlement to public holiday pay or days off. If you're a contractor wondering whether you're really an employee in disguise, our Hourly ↔ Salary converter and the IRD/MBIE "intentional misclassification" tests are good starting points.
Generally no, not straight away. After 12 months of an alternative day sitting unused, you and your employer can agree to "cash it out" at your relevant daily pay rate. Before that, the rule is you have to actually take the day as paid leave.
Yes — for pay purposes, your regional anniversary day (e.g. Auckland Anniversary Day, Wellington Anniversary Day) is treated identically to a national public holiday. The same time-and-a-half + alternative-day rules apply if you work it.
Plug in your hourly rate, normal hours and any overtime/penal rates — see your gross pay and take-home for the week.
Estimates only. For personalised advice, consult a registered tax agent or visit ird.govt.nz. Calculator excludes secondary-tax codes, WFF credits and IETC.
