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.
Next school holidays
Term 3 holidays
26 Sep – 11 Oct 2026
2026
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.
Term 1
26 Jan – 2 Apr
Waitangi Day, Fri 6 Feb
Term 1 holidays
3 – 19 Apr
Term 2
20 Apr – 3 Jul
Anzac Day (Mon 27 Apr), King's Birthday (Mon 1 Jun)
Term 2 holidays
4 – 19 Jul
Term 3
20 Jul – 25 Sep
Term 3 holidays
26 Sep – 11 Oct
Term 4
12 Oct – 18 Dec
Labour Day, Mon 26 Oct
Summer holidays
from 19 Dec
2027
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.
Term 1
28 Jan – 9 Apr
Waitangi Day (Mon 8 Feb), Easter Fri–Tue (26–30 Mar)
Term 1 holidays
10 – 26 Apr
Term 2
27 Apr – 2 Jul
King's Birthday (Mon 7 Jun), Matariki (Fri 25 Jun)
Term 2 holidays
3 – 18 Jul
Term 3
19 Jul – 24 Sep
Term 3 holidays
25 Sep – 10 Oct
Term 4
11 Oct – 17 Dec
Labour Day, Mon 25 Oct
Summer holidays
from 18 Dec
2028
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.
Term 1
31 Jan – 13 Apr
Waitangi Day (Mon 7 Feb)
Term 1 holidays
14 – 30 Apr
Term 2
1 May – 7 Jul
King's Birthday, Mon 5 Jun
Term 2 holidays
8 – 23 Jul
Term 3
24 Jul – 29 Sep
Term 3 holidays
30 Sep – 15 Oct
Term 4
16 Oct – 15 Dec
Labour Day, Mon 23 Oct
Summer holidays
from 16 Dec
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.