Christmas Day in New Zealand
Christmas Day is a public holiday in New Zealand on 25 December. It is a Christian festival marking the birth of Jesus, observed in the Southern Hemisphere summer with local customs shaped by the season.[1][2]
A public holiday with employee-specific weekend rules
The Holidays Act 2003 lists Christmas Day as a public holiday. Employees are entitled to a paid day off when the holiday falls on a day they would otherwise work. If they work that day, they are generally entitled to at least time-and-a-half pay and an alternative day off when it would otherwise have been a working day for them.[1]
Christmas Day stays on 25 December. When it falls on a weekend, the observed day depends on an employee’s usual work pattern: an employee who normally works that weekend day observes it then; for an employee who does not, it moves to the following Monday or, in some cases, Tuesday. This is an employee entitlement rule, not an extra public holiday for everyone.[1]
From an early mission service to a legal holiday
Christmas arrived with European settlers, but it was not always a legal day off. In the mid-19th century, 25 December was a working day for many people, although some provinces treated it as a holiday. The Bank Holidays Act 1873 confirmed banks’ existing practice of closing that day. Later laws and employment awards extended holiday entitlements to more workers, and the Public Holidays Act 1910 confirmed Christmas Day and Boxing Day as public holidays.[3]
A significant early Christmas service took place on 25 December 1814 at Hohi (Oihi) Beach in the Bay of Islands. Church Missionary Society representative Samuel Marsden preached in English to a largely Māori gathering, and Ngāpuhi leader Ruatara translated his sermon. The service marked the beginning of New Zealand’s first Christian mission; a French priest may have held an earlier Christmas service in 1769, though no record of it survives.[2]
Summer customs and local symbols
The season gives Christmas in New Zealand a distinctly summery setting. The national history account describes people heading to beaches or baches, playing backyard cricket and cooking food on barbecues during the late-December holiday period. These customs are not a single routine followed by every household.[4]
The pōhutukawa, with its crimson flowers, has become an established part of New Zealand’s Christmas tradition and an iconic Kiwi Christmas tree. The first known published reference to it as a Christmas tree appeared in 1857, in an account of a feast hosted by Ngāpuhi leader Eruera Patuone. Santa or Christmas parades are also held around the country in November and December; they began in major centres in the early 20th century.[4]
What closes on Christmas Day
Christmas Day is one of the restricted shop-trading days under the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990. Almost all shops must close, although some can open under specified conditions or an existing area exemption. For example, some premises may sell prepared food ready to eat, and some shops may sell only goods that customers cannot reasonably put off buying until the next day. The rules are specific, so travelers should check individual opening hours rather than assume a particular store is open.[5]
The restriction applies on Christmas Day itself. Moving an employee’s public holiday to Monday does not move the shop-trading restriction, and it does not require shops to close a second time on the Monday.[5]
Christmas Day in New Zealand: questions and answers
When is Christmas Day in New Zealand?
It falls on 25 December. If that date is a weekend day, the employee’s observed holiday depends on whether they would usually work that day; for some employees it moves to the following Monday or Tuesday.[1]
Do employees get Christmas Day off?
Employees are entitled to a paid day off if Christmas Day falls on a day they would otherwise work. Employees who work the holiday are generally entitled to at least time-and-a-half pay and, if it is otherwise a working day for them, an alternative day off.[1]
Are shops open on Christmas Day?
Almost all shops must close. Some may open under specific conditions or an existing area exemption, so check with a particular shop before making plans.[5]
What is New Zealand’s Christmas tree?
The pōhutukawa is known as an iconic Kiwi Christmas tree. Its crimson flowers and its place in the country’s Christmas tradition are recorded by Manatū Taonga — Ministry for Culture and Heritage.[4]
Sources and references
Sources used for Christmas Day in New Zealand:
- Public holidays and anniversary dates- Employment New Zealand
- First Christian mission established- Manatū Taonga — Ministry for Culture and Heritage
- A day off for Christmas- Manatū Taonga — Ministry for Culture and Heritage
- Kiwi Christmas- Manatū Taonga — Ministry for Culture and Heritage
- Restricted trading days for shops- Employment New Zealand