Long weekends in New Zealand, 2026
In 2026, holidays give New Zealand8 runs of at least three consecutive days off, the longest lasting 4 days. Below they are listed in calendar order, followed by the bridge days that stretch a short break into a long one.
Every long weekend, in date order
| Starts | Ends | Days off | Because of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 Jan | Sun 4 Jan | 4 days | New Year's Day, Day after New Year's Day |
| Fri 6 Feb | Sun 8 Feb | 3 days | Waitangi Day |
| Fri 3 Apr | Mon 6 Apr | 4 days | Good Friday, Easter Monday |
| Sat 25 Apr | Mon 27 Apr | 3 days | Anzac Day |
| Sat 30 May | Mon 1 Jun | 3 days | King's Birthday |
| Fri 10 Jul | Sun 12 Jul | 3 days | Matariki |
| Sat 24 Oct | Mon 26 Oct | 3 days | Labour Day |
| Fri 25 Dec | Mon 28 Dec | 4 days | Christmas Day, Boxing Day |
Bridge days
There is no bridge day in 2026. A holiday on Tuesday or Thursday is what usually creates one; this year's dates either fall on Monday or Friday, which lengthen the weekend directly, or sit too far from it to link up.
How we find them
Each day of 2026 is marked as a working day or a day off, using New Zealand's weekend pattern and its nationwide holidays. Consecutive days off are joined into runs; a run of three days or more that includes at least one holiday counts as a long weekend. A plain two-day weekend never qualifies.
Regional holidays are not part of this calculation. If your region has its own dates, you may get extra long weekends that do not appear in the national list.
Back to the New Zealand2026 holiday calendar or check working days between two dates.