Easter in New Zealand: Public Holidays, Trading Hours and What's Open

Easter is the longest national public holiday cluster in New Zealand, with two national public holidays — Good Friday and Easter Monday — bracketing a long weekend. It's a time for travel, family gatherings, camping, and for those in Southland, a fifth consecutive day off thanks to Southland Anniversary Day falling on Easter Tuesday.

But Easter also comes with some unusual trading rules and a lot of common confusion about which days are actually public holidays and what businesses can legally do on each of them.

Which Easter Days Are Public Holidays?

In New Zealand, only two Easter days are national public holidays:

• Good Friday — the Friday before Easter Sunday
• Easter Monday — the Monday after Easter Sunday

Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday are not national public holidays. Easter Sunday in particular creates confusion — it's the central day of the Christian celebration of Easter, but as far as New Zealand employment law is concerned, it's just a regular Sunday.

Southland employees receive an additional holiday: Southland Anniversary Day always falls on Easter Tuesday, giving them a five-day break from Good Friday through Easter Tuesday.

Easter Dates from 2025 to 2028

Easter dates change every year because the date of Easter Sunday is calculated using a combination of the lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar — specifically, the first Sunday after the first full moon following the March equinox. This means Easter Sunday can fall anywhere from 22 March to 25 April in any given year.

Easter Trading Rules in New Zealand

New Zealand's Easter trading rules have historically been one of the most complicated areas of retail law. The rules have changed significantly over the years.

Under the Easter Sunday Trading Act 2016, local councils were given the power to adopt bylaws permitting Easter Sunday trading in their district. Prior to this, all retailers (with limited exceptions) were prohibited from trading on Easter Sunday. Since 2016, many councils across the country have adopted Easter Sunday trading policies, opening up the day to retail in most major centres.

The situation now is:

• Good Friday: Retail trading restrictions still apply. Most shops must close, with exceptions for businesses like dairies, petrol stations, pharmacies and businesses catering to travellers.
• Easter Saturday: Normal Saturday trading. No restrictions.
• Easter Sunday: Depends on your local council's bylaw. Many major councils have adopted bylaws permitting trading. Check your local situation.
• Easter Monday: As a public holiday, the same rules as Good Friday apply — restricted trading for most retailers.

What's Typically Open Over Easter

Despite the restrictions, plenty of things are open over Easter in New Zealand. Here's a rough guide to what you can usually expect:

Hospitality venues — cafes, restaurants and bars — are generally not restricted under the trading rules and tend to operate on normal hours over Easter. Many tourist attractions, especially in popular destinations like Queenstown, Rotorua and the Coromandel, remain fully open because Easter is one of their busiest weekends.

Supermarkets fall under the restricted category on Good Friday and Easter Monday in areas without council trading bylaw exemptions. Some major supermarket chains close on Good Friday. In practice, there's significant variation from region to region and store to store, so checking specific stores before you go is sensible.

Easter and Employee Pay

If you're working over Easter, what you're owed depends on the day:

• Good Friday or Easter Monday: If these are days you would normally work, you're entitled to time-and-a-half pay plus an alternative holiday. These are national public holidays.
• Easter Saturday: Normal Saturday rates. No special public holiday entitlements.
• Easter Sunday: If your council has permitted Easter Sunday trading, any special Sunday rates in your employment agreement apply. There are no national public holiday entitlements unless you have an agreement that specifies otherwise.

The public holiday rules around Easter are one of the areas where employer mistakes are most common. If you think you haven't been paid correctly for working on Good Friday or Easter Monday, contact Employment New Zealand.

Planning an Easter Trip

Easter is one of the most popular domestic travel periods in New Zealand. The four-day break from Good Friday to Easter Monday makes it viable to drive to a destination on Thursday evening, have three full days, and return Monday afternoon. Popular destinations fill up fast.

Key planning tips:

• Book accommodation as early as possible — popular Easter destinations like Queenstown, Nelson, Tauranga and the Coromandel are often fully booked several months out.
• Expect increased traffic on state highways, particularly SH1 south of Auckland, SH2 east of Auckland and SH1 through the Kapiti and Hutt Valley corridors. NZTA typically publishes Easter travel predictions each year.
• Camping grounds at DoC sites and regional parks are very popular — book in advance or arrive early.
• Check whether the businesses you're planning to visit are open on Good Friday and Easter Monday before you go — trading rules vary by region and type of business.

Easter 2026 falls over 3–6 April, which is early in the month and catches many businesses still in their post-summer rhythm. Waitangi Day is also in February 2026, so there are two good long weekends in the first four months of the year.

Trading rules and business hours over Easter vary by region, council bylaws and individual business decisions. This article provides general guidance only. Check directly with businesses before travelling or making plans. This is not legal or employment advice.