New Zealand Business Day Calculator
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026 · Holiday data: October 9, 2026
Calculate business days in New Zealand with the 11 national public holidays pre-loaded, Matariki included, and the six weekend-prone holidays moved to the Monday or Tuesday they are observed on. A twelfth public holiday, your province's anniversary day, depends on where the work is done, so it is not in the national set: add it under Advanced options.
How New Zealand Business Days Are Defined
The calculator counts Monday to Friday and leaves out the 11 national public holidays below. Employment New Zealand puts an employee's entitlement at a maximum of 12 public holidays a year: these, plus the anniversary day of the employee's province, which each region keeps on its own date.
Six of the national days are fixed to a calendar date: New Year's Day, the day after it, Waitangi Day, Anzac Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. When one falls on a Saturday or Sunday it is Mondayised. Section 45 of the Holidays Act 2003 moves New Year's Day, 2 January, Christmas Day and Boxing Day from a Saturday to the following Monday and from a Sunday to the following Tuesday; section 45A moves Waitangi Day and Anzac Day from either day to the following Monday. Both apply to an employee for whom the weekend day would not otherwise be a working day; for someone who would have worked that Saturday or Sunday the holiday stays on it. The Employment Leave Act 2026 repeals the 2003 Act on 6 August 2028 and repeats both rules in sections 59 and 60. The calculator uses the Monday or Tuesday, which is the right reading for a Monday-to-Friday week and a default for any other. Good Friday, Easter Monday, King's Birthday, Matariki and Labour Day always fall on a set weekday and never move.
Sources for these rules
- Public holidays rights for employees: you are entitled to a maximum of 12 public holidays a year (Employment New Zealand (MBIE))
- Public holidays and anniversary dates: the national public holidays with their actual and observed dates, and each province's anniversary day (Employment New Zealand (MBIE))
- When a public holiday falls on a weekend: six public holidays can be Mondayised, to Monday or Tuesday, for employees for whom the weekend day is not an otherwise working day; five always fall on a set weekday (Employment New Zealand (MBIE))
- Holidays Act 2003 (2003 No 129), version as at 20 December 2023: s 44(1) the public holidays; s 45 Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and 2 January on a weekend; s 45A Waitangi Day and Anzac Day on a weekend (from 1 January 2014) (New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office))
- Employment Leave Act 2026 (2026 No 48): s 2(1) in force on 6 August 2028; s 150 repeals the Holidays Act 2003; s 52 the twelve public holidays; ss 59 and 60 public holidays that fall on a weekend (New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office))
Checked October 9, 2026. All sources
New Zealand Public Holidays
The 11 national public holidays:
- New Year's Day (1 January, Mondayised)
- Day after New Year's Day (2 January, Mondayised)
- Waitangi Day (6 February, Mondayised)
- Good Friday (variable)
- Easter Monday (variable)
- Anzac Day (25 April, Mondayised)
- King's Birthday (first Monday in June)
- Matariki (a Friday in June or July)
- Labour Day (fourth Monday in October)
- Christmas Day (25 December, Mondayised)
- Boxing Day (26 December, Mondayised)
Each region also keeps an anniversary day (Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and others), on a date Employment New Zealand publishes each year. It is a public holiday only in its own province, so it is not in this national set. How we determine holidays →
Sources for these dates
- Public holidays and anniversary dates: the national public holidays with their actual and observed dates, and each province's anniversary day (Employment New Zealand (MBIE))
- When a public holiday falls on a weekend: six public holidays can be Mondayised, to Monday or Tuesday, for employees for whom the weekend day is not an otherwise working day; five always fall on a set weekday (Employment New Zealand (MBIE))
- Dates for the Matariki public holiday: the Friday closest to the Tangaroa lunar period of Pipiri, as agreed by the Matariki Advisory Committee, 2022 to 2052 (Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand)
- Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act 2022 (2022 No 14): s 5 and Schedule 1, the date of Matariki Observance Day in each year from 2022 to 2052; s 6(2)(a) a date added later must be a Friday (New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office))
- Holidays Act 2003 (2003 No 129), version as at 20 December 2023: s 44(1) the public holidays; s 45 Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and 2 January on a weekend; s 45A Waitangi Day and Anzac Day on a weekend (from 1 January 2014) (New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office))
- Employment Leave Act 2026 (2026 No 48): s 2(1) in force on 6 August 2028; s 150 repeals the Holidays Act 2003; s 52 the twelve public holidays; ss 59 and 60 public holidays that fall on a weekend (New Zealand Legislation (Parliamentary Counsel Office))
Checked October 9, 2026. All sources
Common Use Cases in New Zealand
With a 31 March balance date, provisional tax under the standard or estimation option falls due in three instalments, on 28 August, 15 January and 7 May (Inland Revenue). An employee must raise a personal grievance with the employer within 90 days of the issue arising or coming to their attention, whichever is later, or within 12 months for sexual harassment (Employment New Zealand). Those are calendar days; the Response Deadline Calculator counts them in its calendar-day mode and shows the weekday the period ends on.
Sources for these rules
- Provisional tax payment dates: standard or estimation option, three instalments on 28 August, 15 January and 7 May for a 31 March balance date (Inland Revenue (Te Tari Taake))
- Personal grievances: raised with the employer within 90 days of the issue arising or coming to the employee's attention, 12 months for sexual harassment (Employment New Zealand (MBIE))
Checked October 8, 2026. All sources
Sources and verification
Official source: Employment New Zealand (employment.govt.nz) (opens in a new tab)
Cross-checked against this source on October 9, 2026.
For informational purposes only
This calculator provides general estimates based on business day counting rules. It does not constitute legal advice. Deadlines in legal, regulatory, or contractual matters may be subject to jurisdiction-specific rules, court orders, or statutory exceptions. Always verify critical deadlines with a qualified professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are New Zealand's public holidays?
How does Mondayisation work?
When is Matariki?
Why are provincial anniversary days not included?
How many business days are in a New Zealand working year?
New Zealand working days by month
Working-day counts, calendar grids, and New Zealand public holidays for each of the next 13 months.