Every province in New Zealand has its own anniversary day, a paid public holiday on top of the 11 national holidays. The dates come from the founding of the 19th century provinces, and your entitlement follows where you work, not where you live.
Anniversary dates for 2026 and 2027
| Province | 2026 | 2027 | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington | Monday 19 January 2026 | Monday 25 January 2027 | Monday nearest 22 January |
| Auckland | Monday 26 January 2026 | Monday 1 February 2027 | Monday nearest 29 January |
| Nelson | Monday 2 February 2026 | Monday 1 February 2027 | Monday nearest 1 February |
| Taranaki | Monday 9 March 2026 | Monday 8 March 2027 | Second Monday in March |
| Otago | Monday 23 March 2026 | Monday 22 March 2027 | Monday nearest 23 March |
| Southland | Tuesday 7 April 2026 | Tuesday 30 March 2027 | Easter Tuesday |
| Canterbury (South) | Monday 28 September 2026 | Monday 27 September 2027 | Fourth Monday in September, Dominion Day |
| Hawke's Bay | Friday 23 October 2026 | Friday 22 October 2027 | Friday before Labour Day |
| Marlborough | Monday 2 November 2026 | Monday 1 November 2027 | First Monday after Labour Day |
| Canterbury | Friday 13 November 2026 | Friday 12 November 2027 | Second Friday after the first Tuesday in November, Show Day |
| Westland | Monday 30 November 2026 | Monday 29 November 2027 | Monday nearest 1 December |
| Chatham Islands | Monday 30 November 2026 | Monday 29 November 2027 | Monday nearest 30 November |
How the dates are set
Most provinces observe the Monday nearest their original anniversary date, which keeps the holiday attached to a weekend without needing Mondayisation. The exceptions have their own logic. Taranaki moved to the second Monday in March to avoid clashing with Easter. Hawke’s Bay takes the Friday before Labour Day and Marlborough the Monday after it, both building four day weekends. Canterbury observes Show Day, the second Friday after the first Tuesday in November, while South Canterbury observes Dominion Day, the fourth Monday in September. Southland uses Easter Tuesday, so its date moves with Easter. Westland and the Chatham Islands sit at the end of the year, within a day of each other.
Because these days are set by local custom and council practice rather than the Holidays Act, employment.govt.nz itself advises checking with your local council if a date matters to you. Otago in particular runs on custom and practice, and some workplaces agree their own observance.
Which anniversary day applies to you
The old provinces do not match today’s regional boundaries. The former Auckland Province covers most of the upper North Island, which is why Auckland Anniversary Day is observed from Northland to Waikato, the Bay of Plenty and Gisborne. If your workplace sits near an old provincial boundary, the honest answer is that observance follows local custom, and your employment agreement should say which day applies.
Pay on an anniversary day
An anniversary day is a full public holiday for the province that observes it. Work it and you earn time and a half, plus a day in lieu if it was an otherwise working day. The public holidays hub explains the rules.
Dates on this page are generated from a single verified dataset, checked against employment.govt.nz and Schedule 1 of the Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act 2022. Last verified 15 August 2026.