When does Term 1 start?
When does Term 1 start in New Zealand? School start dates 2026 to 2028
| Year | Earliest start | Latest start | Term 1 ends | Previous Term 4 ends no later than |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | (up to 10 weeks) | |||
| 2027 | (up to 11 weeks) | |||
| 2028 | (up to 11 weeks) |
There is no single first day back for every school. The Ministry of Education publishes an opening window for Term 1, and each state or state-integrated school chooses a day within it. The table lists the earliest and latest permitted starts for each published year, together with the end of Term 1 and the latest closing date of the previous Term 4. A school may close before that date, so its own summer break can be longer. Use these dates to understand the national timetable, then check the school or kura’s own notice for its return arrangements.
A school that has met its half-day requirement may close before the latest Term 4 date, so check its own closing and opening dates to work out its summer break.
Confirm your school’s first day
Schools select their first day of Term 1 within the published window. The return date therefore varies between schools; check your school’s calendar for its chosen start.
The Ministry’s wording
In the words of the Ministry of Education:
Schools and kura kaupapa Māori have some flexibility to decide when Term 1 starts and when Term 4 finishes. Terms 2 and 3 are fixed.
Schools have flexibility to choose the start and end dates of their school year, so long as they start between Monday 26 January and Monday 9 February, and end no later than 18 December 2026.
Summer holidays run for 5 or 6 weeks (from school's closing date until opening date of school the following year).
School year limits
The Ministry's general guidance on school year limits is quoted below. Check the year-by-year table above for each published Term 1 start window and latest Term 4 finish.
In the words of the Ministry of Education:
The following guidance outlines the requirements for school boards under the Education (When State Schools Must Be Open and Closed) Regulations 2024.
State and state-integrated schools and kura can choose to start and end their school year between these dates:
Term 1 can start between Auckland Anniversary Day (the Monday closest to 29 January) and the day after Waitangi Day (6 February)
Term 4 must end no later than 20 December in any year
all other term dates are set by the Minister of Education.
Schools sharing common community interests should work together to set a common start date for their community.
Common questions
- Which day does my school open?
- Only your school can confirm its chosen opening day. The table on this page shows the permitted start window, which helps you check whether a date is a national boundary or your school’s actual return.
- Do primary and secondary schools start on different days?
- Primary and secondary schools share the same Term 1 start window, but individual schools may choose different days within it. Check your school's notices for its return date.
- Why does the end of Term 1 change?
- Easter helps shape the end of Term 1 where alignment is possible. The year-by-year table shows the published ending dates rather than assuming the term finishes at the same point each year.
Official sources
- Ministry of Education: School terms and holidays dates (read )
- Ministry of Education: School opening and closing for instruction (read )
- Ministry of Education: Terms, holidays and cohort entry 2025-2026 (read )
Every date here was compared with the official pages on . Should anything differ, the official page is right. How dates are checked.