School holidays NZ 2026 and 2027: when are the next holidays?

Right now

These two cards use New Zealand time to show whether the national school calendar is in term or on holiday today, the days until the next break or return, and the next public holiday with its Mondayised date where applicable. Before summer, ‘at most’ allows for an earlier school finish. Individual school closures may differ.

Find your school year

Start with the year you need, whether you are organising childcare, planning leave or checking when school goes back. The Ministry of Education publishes one national calendar for state and state-integrated schools, with room for individual schools to choose some dates. Each year has its own page bringing together term dates, school holidays and the public holidays within that year. It also shows the first day back after each holiday period, or the opening window where schools choose their own day. Every date comes from an official page or from the legislation and is checked twice. For arrangements specific to your school or kura, confirm its calendar before making plans.

• School holidays and term dates 2026the current school year
• School holidays and term dates 2027next year, already published
• School holidays and term dates 2028published by the Ministry of Education
• All years side by sidewhich dates move from one year to the next
• When does Term 1 start?the start window each school chooses from
• NCEA exams 2026Exams from 10 November 2026 to 4 December 2026, listed day by day for each level
• NCEA exams 2027Exam period: 9 November 2027 to 3 December 2027; subject sessions are not listed here

Public holidays and the rules behind them

• Public holidays 2026national dates with weekdays and Mondayised days
• Public holidays 2027national dates with weekdays and Mondayised days
• Public holidays 2028national dates with weekdays and Mondayised days
• Mondayisationwhich holidays move to a Monday or Tuesday, and for whom
• Matarikithe Friday fixed by the Matariki Act for each year
• Easter Tuesdaya school holiday, not a national public holiday

Find the longer breaks

The long weekend pages show breaks of at least three days formed by public holidays and weekends, assuming you have Saturdays and Sundays off. Check the national dates and your region's anniversary day when planning leave.

Next long weekend: Friday 25 December to Monday 28 December 2026, 4 days off with Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

• Summer holidays 2026/27School finishes by 18 December 2026, with the return between 28 January 2027 and 3 February 2027
• Summer holidays 2027/28School finishes by 17 December 2027, with the return between 31 January 2028 and 8 February 2028
• Long weekends 20268 runs of three or more days off, plus each region’s anniversary weekend
• Long weekends 20278 runs of three or more days off, plus each region’s anniversary weekend
• Long weekends 20286 runs of three or more days off so far; remaining holidays and regional anniversary weekends are not yet listed here
• All years holiday by holidaywhich holidays make a long weekend in each year

From the source to the calendar

Dates are taken from the official pages, or worked out from the Act where no table has been published yet, then compared with those sources again through a separate check. Weekdays are worked out from the dates rather than copied alongside them, giving the calendar another point of comparison. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where a year or regional date has not been published, the entry says ‘not yet published’ instead of suggesting a likely answer. Source links let you read the original wording and see where each entry came from. If this calendar and an official page differ, the official page prevails. Term Dates NZ is independent and is not a government service.

Official pages last read on 2 November 2026.