Reference

NZ School Holidays and Term Dates 2026 and 2027

Quick answer The next school holidays are the spring break, Saturday 26 September 2026 to Sunday 11 October 2026, which is 16 days. Terms 2 and 3 are fixed nationwide, so the autumn, winter and spring breaks are the same for every state school. Every term date for 2026 and 2027 is in the tables below, from the Ministry of Education.

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4 Terms
Per School Year
~2 weeks
Between Terms
~6 weeks
Summer Break
Quick answer: New Zealand schools have three holiday breaks during the 2026 school year plus the summer break. In 2026 they are Friday 3 April to Sunday 19 April 2026 (17 days), Saturday 4 July to Sunday 19 July 2026 (16 days) and Saturday 26 September to Sunday 11 October 2026 (16 days). The summer break runs from no later than Saturday 19 December 2026 until Term 1 2027 starts, between Thursday 28 January and Wednesday 3 February 2027. Exact Term 1 start and Term 4 end dates vary by school, so confirm those two with your own school.

New Zealand state and state-integrated schools run four terms a year. Terms 2 and 3 have fixed nationwide dates; schools have some flexibility on when Term 1 starts and Term 4 finishes. The dates below are the Ministry of Education dates for 2026 and 2027. Always confirm exact start and end dates with your own school.

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2026 School Terms

TermDates
Term 1Starts between Monday 26 January 2026 and Monday 9 February 2026, ends Thursday 2 April 2026
Term 2Monday 20 April 2026 to Friday 3 July 2026
Term 3Monday 20 July 2026 to Friday 25 September 2026
Term 4Monday 12 October 2026 to no later than Friday 18 December 2026

2027 School Terms

TermDates
Term 1Starts between Thursday 28 January 2027 and Wednesday 3 February 2027, ends Friday 9 April 2027
Term 2Tuesday 27 April 2027 to Friday 2 July 2027
Term 3Monday 19 July 2027 to Friday 24 September 2027
Term 4Monday 11 October 2027 to no later than Friday 17 December 2027
Source: Ministry of Education - School terms and holidays. Term 1 start and Term 4 end vary by school within a set range; Terms 2 and 3 are fixed nationally.

School Holiday Dates

Each break is the gap between one term ending and the next starting, so the dates below follow directly from the term dates above. These are the dates that matter for booking holiday care, planning trips and budgeting for school holiday programmes.

2026 School Holidays

BreakFirst dayLast dayLength
After Term 1 (autumn)Friday 3 April 2026Sunday 19 April 202617 days
After Term 2 (winter)Saturday 4 July 2026Sunday 19 July 202616 days
After Term 3 (spring)Saturday 26 September 2026Sunday 11 October 202616 days
Summer break No later than Saturday 19 December 2026 Term 1 2027 starts between 28 January and Wednesday 3 February 2027 About 6 weeks

2027 School Holidays

BreakFirst dayLast dayLength
After Term 1 (autumn)Saturday 10 April 2027Monday 26 April 202717 days
After Term 2 (winter)Saturday 3 July 2027Sunday 18 July 202716 days
After Term 3 (spring)Saturday 25 September 2027Sunday 10 October 202716 days
Summer break No later than Saturday 18 December 2027 Late January or early February 2028 About 6 weeks

Term 1 start and Term 4 end dates are set by each school within a Ministry range, so the first and last days of the summer break vary. Terms 2 and 3 are fixed nationwide, which means the autumn, winter and spring breaks are the same for every state and state-integrated school.

Source: govt.nz - School terms. See also our Childcare Subsidies and Public Holidays references.

Cite this page NZ School Holidays and Term Dates 2026 and 2027. Calculate.co.nz. https://www.calculate.co.nz/reference/nz-school-terms.php (retrieved 1 September 2026). Figures are compiled from the official sources listed above and reviewed twice monthly.