Every long weekend in the New Zealand calendar for 2026 — plan your leave before popular dates fill up.
A long weekend is any public holiday adjacent to a weekend, giving three or more consecutive days off. Strategic annual leave can extend these to four or five days.
New Year's Day (1 Jan) and Day After New Year's (2 Jan) are both public holidays. In 2026 they fall Thursday-Friday, creating a four-day weekend through Sunday 4 January.
Waitangi Day falls on Friday 6 February 2026, creating a three-day weekend. One of the most popular times for domestic travel to Northland and the Bay of Islands.
Good Friday (3 April) through Easter Monday (6 April) is a four-day break — the longest national long weekend of the year.
ANZAC Day falls on Saturday 25 April, with Monday 27 April as a substitute holiday, creating a three-day weekend.
First Monday of June — 1 June 2026. Three-day weekend popular for ski season road trips to Queenstown and Ruapehu.
Matariki is observed on Friday 26 June 2026, creating a three-day weekend marking the Maori New Year.
Fourth Monday of October — 26 October. Three-day weekend as daylight saving has just begun.
Christmas (Friday 25 Dec) and Boxing Day (Saturday 26 Dec) with a substitute on Monday 28 December creates a four-day long weekend.
Plan your time off around NZ public holidays with our free planner.
Open NZ Holiday PlannerNew Zealand has 12 national public holidays, plus regional anniversary days.
Matariki is observed on Friday 26 June 2026.
Easter — four consecutive days from Good Friday (3 April) through Easter Monday (6 April).
Some are fixed (Waitangi Day, ANZAC Day, Christmas). Others float to a specific weekday like Labour Day and King's Birthday.