Southland's Easter Anniversary Holiday
Southland Anniversary Day 2026 and 2027, New Zealand
| Year | Observed | Actual anniversary | School calendar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | (Saturday) | the Term 1 holidays | |
| 2027 | (Sunday) | Term 1, on Easter Tuesday, when every state school in New Zealand is already closed | |
| 2028 | Not yet published by Employment New Zealand | ||
Add to your calendar (.ics) Calendar dates come from official publications or legislation, with no estimates and a source link for each event.
Key facts
- Observed date in 2027
- Tuesday 30 March 2027, in Term 1 and on Easter Tuesday, when every state school in New Zealand is already closed
- Observance rule
- A day fixed by local custom; the anniversary itself is Sunday 17 January 2027
- Date compared with 2026 Calculated
- 8 days earlier in the year than in 2026 (Tuesday 7 April 2026)
- Anniversary long weekend Calculated
- 5 days off in a row, Friday 26 March 2027 to Tuesday 30 March 2027
A fact marked Calculated is worked out from the official dates linked below, rather than quoted from the source.
Easter and Southland Anniversary Day normally run together, with the regional public holiday observed on Easter Tuesday. That closes a five-day break beginning on Good Friday, despite the actual anniversary being in mid-January. The school calendar changes the picture between the published years: Easter falls within the Term 1 holidays in one and during Term 1 itself in the other. Families coordinating work and school breaks therefore have a different overlap to consider each time.
Right now in Southland (, New Zealand time)
Next Southland Anniversary Day
145 days to go
: Term 1, on Easter Tuesday, when every state school in New Zealand is already closed.
Why Southland takes it on that day
In the words of Employment New Zealand:
Southland Anniversary: Normally observed on Easter Tuesday.
The area as govt.nz lists it: Southland.
Southland Anniversary weekend 2026 and 2027: the long weekend
- 2026: Friday 3 April to Tuesday 7 April 2026: five days off in a row, together with Good Friday and Easter Monday.
- 2027: Friday 26 March to Tuesday 30 March 2027: five days off in a row, together with Good Friday and Easter Monday.
These breaks combine the anniversary day, weekends and that year's national holidays, assuming weekends are days off.
Southland Anniversary Day: 2010 to 2025
Employment New Zealand's previous-years list shows how the observed anniversary day for Southland moved between years.
Show observed dates from 2010 to 2025
| Year | Observed | Actual anniversary |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | (Friday) | |
| 2024 | (Wednesday) | |
| 2023 | (Tuesday) | |
| 2022 | (Monday) | |
| 2021 | (Sunday) | |
| 2020 | (Friday) | |
| 2019 | (Thursday) | |
| 2018 | (Wednesday) | |
| 2017 | (Tuesday) | |
| 2016 | (Sunday) | |
| 2015 | (Saturday) | |
| 2014 | (Friday) | |
| 2013 | (Thursday) | |
| 2012 | (Tuesday) | |
| 2011 | (Monday) | |
| 2010 | (Sunday) |
Public holidays, long weekends and school dates
Common questions
- When is Southland Anniversary Day in 2027?
- Tuesday 30 March 2027. The anniversary itself is Sunday 17 January 2027; Southland keeps a day set by local custom, quoted above. In the school calendar that is Term 1, on Easter Tuesday, when every state school in New Zealand is already closed.
- How is the observed date for Southland Anniversary Day decided?
- Local custom sets the day; Employment New Zealand’s rule reads “Normally observed on Easter Tuesday.” Employment New Zealand lists Tuesday 7 April in 2026 and Tuesday 30 March in 2027.
- Do schools in Southland close for Southland Anniversary Day?
- 2026: Tuesday 7 April falls during the Term 1 holidays, so schools are already closed. 2027: Tuesday 30 March falls on Easter Tuesday, already a school holiday for every state school in New Zealand, so the anniversary adds no extra school closure in Southland.
Official sources
- Employment New Zealand: Public holidays and anniversary dates (read )
- New Zealand Government (govt.nz): Dates for public holidays and anniversary days (read )
- Employment New Zealand: Previous years: Public holidays and anniversary dates (read )
Every date here was compared with the official pages on . Should anything differ, the official page is right. How dates are checked.