FESTIVALS

Golden Shears
Masterton, New Zealand - March - 3 days

Where else would the world’s premier sheep-shearing contest take place but New Zealand? Golden Shears (www.goldenshears.co.nz) pits the very best in the world against each other in what –.

New Zealand International Arts Festival
Wellington, New Zealand - February/March - 3 weeks

New Zealand’s premier arts festival (www.nzfestival.telecom.co.nz) showcases theatre, music and dance events at a variety of venues around central Wellington, along with readings by New Zealand writers, and.

Pasifika
Auckland, New Zealand - March - 2 days

Auckland’s attempt to celebrate the traditions of the Pacific island communities with which New Zealand historically has such close cultural ties, Pasifika has grown into the region’s largest such event, with..

Queenstown Winter Festival
Queenstown, New Zealand - June - 9 days

This thirty-year-old event makes the most of the things that bring people to Queenstown all year: adventure activities and good nightlife – and oddly enough, it was started originally to perk.

Wildfoods Festival
Hokitika, New Zealand - March - 1 day
Now almost twenty years old, the Wildfoods Festival (www.wildfoods.co.nz), held in the small town of Hokitika, on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island, is one of the...

World Buskers Festival
Christchurch, New Zealand - January - 10 days
This annual competition aims to find the world’s best street entertainers – and let’s face it, you’ve got to be pretty good (or pretty mad) to make the trip to New..

HOLIDAYS

January 1 New Year's Day1

January 2 Day after New Year's Day1

February 6 New Zealand & Waitangi Day

March 2 Children's Day

March 21 - 24 Good Friday - Easter Monday

April 25 ANZAC Day

May 1 Labour Day

May 11 Mother's Day

June 5 Queen's Birthday

November 2 All Soul's Day

December 25 Christmas Day1

December 26 Boxing Day1

1 New Year's Day and the day after are moved to the Monday (and Tuesday) following if they occur on a weekend. If Saturday or Sunday is New Year's Day, then Monday and Tuesday are holidays. If Friday is New Year's Day, then Monday is given in lieu of the 2nd day holiday.

The same rule applies to Christmas and Boxing Day.

Weekend: Saturday, Sunday