New Zealand school holidays
Find out when the next NZ school holidays are, plus official term dates through 2028 —
sourced directly from the Ministry of Education.
Dates checked against the Ministry source on 14 September 2026.
Right now in New Zealand
Term 4 is on now
Term 4 2026 runs 12 Oct – 18 Dec (10 weeks). It ends on 18 Dec 2026 — about 7 weeks to go. Next: Summer holidays, from 19 Dec.
Next school holidays
Summer holidays
from 19 Dec 2026
NZ school holidays 2026 — term dates
Term 2 is the longest stretch of the year at 11 weeks, running straight through to early July.
378 half days required for primary schools, 376 for secondary.
Longest term: Term 2 (11 weeks).
Shortest: Term 1 and 3 and 4 (10 weeks).
Term 1 2026 · 10 weeks
26 Jan – 2 Apr
Waitangi Day, Fri 6 Feb
Term 1 holidays
3 – 19 Apr
17 days
Term 2 2026 · 11 weeks
20 Apr – 3 Jul
Anzac Day (Mon 27 Apr), King's Birthday (Mon 1 Jun)
Term 2 holidays
4 – 19 Jul
16 days
Term 3 2026 · 10 weeks
20 Jul – 25 Sep
Term 3 holidays
26 Sep – 11 Oct
16 days
Term 4 2026 · 10 weeks
12 Oct – 18 Dec
Labour Day, Mon 26 Oct
Summer holidays
from 19 Dec
40 days
NZ school holidays 2027 — term dates
Easter falls late in March, so Term 1 runs a little longer than usual before the break.
376 half days required for both primary and secondary schools.
Longest term: Term 1 (11 weeks).
Shortest: Term 2 and 3 and 4 (10 weeks).
Term 1 2027 · 11 weeks
28 Jan – 9 Apr
Waitangi Day (Mon 8 Feb), Easter Fri–Tue (26–30 Mar)
Term 1 holidays
10 – 26 Apr
17 days
Term 2 2027 · 10 weeks
27 Apr – 2 Jul
King's Birthday (Mon 7 Jun), Matariki (Fri 25 Jun)
Term 2 holidays
3 – 18 Jul
16 days
Term 3 2027 · 10 weeks
19 Jul – 24 Sep
Term 3 holidays
25 Sep – 10 Oct
16 days
Term 4 2027 · 10 weeks
11 Oct – 17 Dec
Labour Day, Mon 25 Oct
Summer holidays
from 18 Dec
44 days
NZ school holidays 2028 — term dates
Term 4 is the shortest of the three years — up to 9 weeks — wrapping up by 15 December.
382 half days required for primary schools, 380 for secondary.
Longest term: Term 1 (11 weeks).
Shortest: Term 4 (9 weeks).
Term 1 2028 · 11 weeks
31 Jan – 13 Apr
Waitangi Day (Mon 7 Feb)
Term 1 holidays
14 – 30 Apr
17 days
Term 2 2028 · 10 weeks
1 May – 7 Jul
King's Birthday, Mon 5 Jun
Term 2 holidays
8 – 23 Jul
16 days
Term 3 2028 · 10 weeks
24 Jul – 29 Sep
Term 3 holidays
30 Sep – 15 Oct
16 days
Term 4 2028 · 9 weeks
16 Oct – 15 Dec
Labour Day, Mon 23 Oct
Summer holidays
from 16 Dec
44 days
Applies to state, state-integrated schools and kura. Term 2 and Term 3 dates are fixed by the
Ministry; schools have some flexibility over when Term 1 starts and Term 4 ends. Private
schools and early childhood services can follow different dates — check with your school
or service.
Frequently asked
Quick answers worked out from the term dates shown on this page.
The next school holidays are the Summer holidays: from 19 Dec 2026.
Term 4 ends on 18 Dec 2026, 17 Dec 2027, 15 Dec 2028 for 2026, 2027, 2028 respectively. Schools have some flexibility over when Term 4 ends, so check with your own school.
Term 4 runs 10 weeks in 2026, 10 weeks in 2027, 9 weeks in 2028 (calendar weeks, counted from the first to the last day of the term).
Longest term — 2026: Term 2 (11 weeks); 2027: Term 1 (11 weeks); 2028: Term 1 (11 weeks). Shortest — 2026: Term 1 and Term 3 and Term 4 (10 weeks); 2027: Term 2 and Term 3 and Term 4 (10 weeks); 2028: Term 4 (9 weeks).
The Ministry sets a minimum number of half days each year: 2026 — 378 half days required for primary schools, 376 for secondary; 2027 — 376 half days required for both primary and secondary schools; 2028 — 382 half days required for primary schools, 380 for secondary.
These dates apply to state and state-integrated schools and kura. Private schools and early childhood services can follow different dates, so check with the school or service directly.
Term 2 and Term 3 dates are fixed by the Ministry. Schools have some flexibility over when Term 1 starts and when Term 4 ends.