Public holiday entitlements in New Zealand: Employer factsheet

With no less than 12 public holidays per employee every year, we do love our long weekends in New Zealand. However, as an employer, there are quite a few legal considerations to be across when managing public holidays. That’s why we’ve created this factsheet, to parse the Holidays Act (2003) guidelines and set out Employment New Zealand’s advice. 

Our factsheets includes: 

• New Zealand’s public holiday dates
• Employee entitlements
• What happens if a public holiday falls on a weekend
• How to define an ‘otherwise working day’
• How to calculate public holiday leave pay
• Mondayisation
• Answers to other frequently asked questions by employers

Public holiday entitlements

All employees have some basic entitlements around public holidays, including whether they have to work and what they can take as leave. 

Taking a public holiday as a day of leave

When an employee doesn’t work a public holiday because it’s an ‘otherwise working day’, for them, they are entitled to a paid day off. This should be paid at their Relevant Daily Pay (RDP), or Average Daily Pay (ADP) if they have variable hours. 

An ‘otherwise working day’ is one that the employee would normally have worked. It can be determined by looking at the employee’s employment agreement, their work patterns, rosters, or other agreements. 

Working on public holidays

An employee can work on a public holiday but this needs to be specified in their individual employment agreement. By working a public holiday, they’re entitled to at least time and a half pay for the hours they’ve worked.

They’re also entitled to an alternative holiday (sometimes referred to as a day in lieu) if it’s a day they’d otherwise be working.

Typically, an employee can choose whether to work on a public holiday or not. They can only be compelled to work on a public holiday if it would be an ‘otherwise working day’ for them and if their employment agreement says they have to work on that public holiday.

Pay rates

If your employee takes the public holiday off, they must be paid either their Relevant Daily Pay (what they would have been paid that day) or their Average Daily Pay (daily average of their gross earnings over the past 52 weeks). 

Time off

If you need your employee to work on the public holiday, then they are typically entitled to an alternative holiday. Your employee can also request to work the public holiday, and transfer it. 

If your employee is transferring the public holiday, it’s important to get this in writing, whether in their employment agreement, or a separate agreement. 

To transfer the holiday, the day picked:

• Must be a normal working day for them
• Must not be another public holiday
• Must not reduce the number of public holidays the employee gets

Dates for 2026 public holidays in New Zealand

New Year’s Day – Wednesday 1 January 2026

Day after New Year’s Day – Thursday 2 January 2026

Waitangi Day – Thursday 6 February 2026

Good Friday – Friday 18 April 2026

Easter Monday – Monday 21 April 2026

Anzac Day – Friday 25 April 2026

King’s Birthday – Monday 2 June 2026

Matariki – Friday 20 June 2026

Labour Day – Monday 27 October 2026

Christmas Day – Thursday 25 December 2026

Boxing Day – Friday 26 December 2026

Mondayisation

If a public holiday falls on a weekend then it may get moved to the following Monday (or in some situations, Tuesday). This is referred to as Mondayisation.

To determine when your employee gets the public holiday:

• If they work Monday to Friday, their their public holiday entitlements get applied to the Monday (or Tuesday) following the public holiday
• If they work on the day of the public holiday, their entitlements apply that day

If your employee works both the day of the public holiday and the Mondayisation date, then they get their entitlements on the calendar date. They are not entitled to two public holidays. 

If your employee’s work pattern varies then you’ll need to agree on whether a public holiday is a day they’d otherwise be working.

Employment NZ has a series of questions to help you determine whether a public holiday is Mondayised (or Tuesdayised in certain circumstances).

Public holidays during leave

If a public holiday falls within an employee’s leave, then they may have public holiday entitlements. Here’s how each type of leave affects their public holiday entitlements.

Annual leave: They get public holiday pay and they don’t lose a day of annual leave.

Parental leave: You don’t need to pay an employee for any public holiday during their parental leave.

Sickness, injury, bereavement or family violence leave: Your employee does not lose a day of annual holidays. Instead that day is treated as a public holiday that they’ve taken.  They should be paid their relevant daily pay or average daily pay (depending on what’s higher) but they’re not entitled to time and a half or an alternative holiday, as they did not work that day.

Unpaid leave: You don’t typically need to pay an employee for any public holiday during unpaid leave. However, if the public holiday falls on an otherwise working day, and they are on unpaid sick, bereavement or family violence leave, then they are entitled to public holiday pay.

Alternative holidays

As an employer, you have a couple of responsibilities when your employee works a public holiday and then takes their alternative holiday. You need to:

• Pay your employee’s RDP (or ADP if applicable) for the hours they would have worked on the day they take their alternative holiday. This does not take into account the amount of hours they worked on the public holiday. For example, if they get an alternative holiday for working four hours on Waitangi Day, and take the alternative holiday on a day they would have worked six hours, then they get paid for six hours. 
• Make sure their alternative holiday pay is made in the pay period when the holiday is taken.
• If their alternative holiday is not taken within 12 months, by mutual agreement, pay out the alternative holiday.
• At the end of an employee’s employment, if they have an alternative holiday they have not taken, pay it out at the rate of their RDP (or ADP if applicable) based on their last day of employment.

New Zealand Anniversary days in 2026

Different regions of New Zealand have different anniversary dates, which are treated as public holidays. All employees are entitled to the one that applies to the region they work in. Here’s when each region will observe their anniversary day in 2026:

Auckland – Monday 26 January

Canterbury (South) – Monday 28 September

Canterbury – Friday 13 November

Chatham Islands – Monday 30 November

Hawke’s Bay – Friday 23 October

Marlborough – Monday 2 November

Nelson – Monday 2 February

Otago – Monday 23 March

Southland – Tuesday 7 April

Taranaki – Monday 9 March

Wellington – Monday 19 January

Westland – Monday 30 November

How payroll software helps manage public holiday entitlements

At Employment Hero, our payroll software makes it easy to manage public holiday entitlements. Our software automates calculation, tracking and record-keeping based on New Zealand legislation and employee settings. The software gives you information you need for the “otherwise working day” test, and makes it easy to calculate Relevant Daily Pay or Average Daily Pay (depending on what’s applicable).

Need help with managing your area’s public holiday calendar? Our software automatically accounts for region-specific holidays, so you don’t get caught out. 

Download the public holiday entitlements factsheet

Looking for more help getting your head around public holiday entitlements? Our easy-to-understand factsheets contains the key information you need to know to manage public holidays with ease. 

The information in this article is current as at 30 October 2025, and has been prepared by Employment Hero Pty Ltd (ABN 11 160 047 709) and its related bodies corporate (Employment Hero). The views expressed in this article are general information only, are provided in good faith to assist employers and their employees, and should not be relied on as professional advice. Some information is based on data supplied by third parties. While such data is believed to be accurate, it has not been independently verified and no warranties are given that it is complete, accurate, up to date or fit for the purpose for which it is required. Employment Hero does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracy in such data and is not liable for any loss or damages arising directly or indirectly as a result of reliance on, use of or inability to use any information provided in this article. You should undertake your own research and seek professional advice before making any decisions or relying on the information in this article.