New Zealand School Holidays 2025, 2026, 2027 (Official Dates)
In this publication, we’ll cover school holidays in New Zealand for 2025, 2026, and 2027. We’ll provide the exact dates for summer, autumn, winter, and spring breaks. You’ll also find out the dates of holidays when schools are closed to students and teachers. If you’d like to use the information in this publication, please cite ALYO.info as the source.
The New Zealand school year begins in February and ends in December. The total number of school days is 190-193, depending on the year and type of school. However, it’s not days that are counted, but half-days. Therefore, the school year lasts 380-386 half-days. New Zealand students have four school holidays:
Summer holidays.
Autumn holidays (holidays after the first semester).
Winter holidays (holidays after the second semester).
Spring break (break after the third semester).
The dates of spring, Easter, and autumn breaks are fixed and independent of the school. Summer breaks can begin and end at different times, usually spread out over one week. This ensures that school administrations ensure that children receive the required number of half-days of instruction.
Besides school holidays, New Zealand has other days off from school. First and foremost, these are public holidays. There are 13 of them, but most fall during school holidays. Typically, there are four additional days off for teachers and students. Depending on the year, these may be:
Waitanga Day.
ANZAC Day.
The King’s birthday.
Matariki.
Labor Day.
Below in this article, we provide school holidays in New Zealand for 2023, 2024, and 2025. All dates are accurate and published by the Ministry of Education . If a range of dates is provided, please contact the school administration for clarification. Alternatively, visit the school’s website for the exact school year schedule.
IMPORTANT! Holidays and compulsory half-days are statutory requirements for state and state-integrated schools and kura (Māori immersion schools).
New Zealand School Holidays 2025
We provide the exact dates for the summer, autumn, winter, and spring school vacations in New Zealand for the 2025 academic year. A list of additional non-school days for national holidays can be found in the next section.
Summer recess 2024-2025 begin no later than Saturday, December 21, 2024. They end between Sunday, February 26 and Thursday, February 6.
Autumn holidays 2025: from Saturday, April 12 to Sunday, April 27.
Winter break 2025: Saturday, June 28th to Sunday, July 13th.
Spring Break: Saturday, September 20th to Sunday, October 5th.
Summer holidays 2025-2026 will begin no later than Saturday, December 20, 2025, and will end between January 25 (Sunday) and February 8 (Sunday), 2026.*
* Summer holidays 2025-2026 in primary, secondary and special schools may begin on a day when the school has been open for at least 193 days (386 half-days) during the 2025 school year.
* Summer holidays 2025-2026 in senior and mixed schools may begin on the day the school was open for 190 days (380 half-days) in the 2025 school year.
School holidays in 2025 in New Zealand
Here’s a list of New Zealand public holidays in 2025 that fall on school days. On these dates, schools are closed, students have no classes, and teachers have a day off.
Waitangi Day is Thursday, February 6.
The King’s birthday is Monday, June 2.
Matariki – Friday, June 20.
Labor Day is Monday, October 27.
New Zealand School Holidays 2026
Below are the exact dates for the 2026 school holidays in New Zealand for all types of schools. The start and end of the summer holidays depend on each school’s curriculum. For more information, please contact your school’s administration.
The 2025-2026 summer school holidays begin no later than Saturday, December 20, 2025. They end between Sunday, January 25 and Sunday, February 8.
Autumn Break 2026: Friday, April 3rd to Sunday, April 19th, 2026.
Winter holidays: Saturday, July 4, 2026 to Sunday, July 19, 2026.
Spring Break: Saturday, September 26, 2026, through Sunday, October 11, 2026.
The 2026-2027 summer holidays in New Zealand begin no later than Saturday, December 19 and last for 5-6 weeks.*
* Summer holidays 2026-2027 in primary, secondary and special schools may begin on the day on which the educational institution has been open for at least 191 days (382 half-days) during the 2026 school year.
* Summer holidays 2026-2027 in senior and mixed schools may begin on the day the school has been open for 190 days (380 half-days) in the 2026 school year.
School holidays in 2026 in New Zealand
Children in New Zealand don’t just have school holidays. Schools are closed on public holidays. Most of these fall during vacation periods, but there are four days that fall during school days. These are the dates for the 2026 school year:
Waitangi Day is Friday, February 6.
ANZAC Day is Saturday 25 April (ANZAC Day is observed on Monday 27 April).
The King’s birthday is Monday, June 1st.
Labor Day is Monday, October 26.
New Zealand School Holidays 2027
Below are the exact dates for the 2027 school holidays in New Zealand for all types of schools. For more information on summer holidays, please contact your school administration.
The New Zealand summer school holidays 2026-2027 begin no later than Saturday, 19 December 2026 and end between Wednesday, 27 January and Wednesday, 3 February 2027.
Fall break (break after the first semester) 2027: from Saturday, April 10 to Monday, April 26, 2027.
Winter vacation (school break after second term): Saturday 3 July to Sunday 18 July 2027.
Spring Break (school break after third term): Saturday, September 25, 2027 to Sunday, October 10, 2027.
The 2027-2028 summer recess in New Zealand begin no later than Saturday, December 18, 2027. They end between Sunday, January 30 and Monday, February 7.*
* Summer vacation 2027-2028 in all types of schools may begin on the day on which the school has been open for at least 188 days (376 half-days) during the 2027 school year.
School holidays in New Zealand 2027
Children in New Zealand don’t just have school holidays. Schools are closed on public holidays. Most of these fall during vacation periods, but there are seven days during the school year. On these dates, teachers and students have a day off from school and work:
Waitangi Day, Saturday 6 February, is observed on Monday 8 February 2027.
Good Friday – March 26, 2027.
Easter Monday – March 29, 2027.
Easter Tuesday is March 30, 2027.
The King’s birthday is Monday, June 7, 2027.
Matariki – Friday, June 25, 2027.
Labor Day is Monday, October 25, 2027.
In this post, we’ve outlined the school holidays in New Zealand for 2025, 2026, and 2027. We’ve provided the official dates set by the Ministry of Education. This article will be updated if any changes occur. Don’t forget to share this post with your friends!
