School terms in NZ

School terms for New Zealand primary, intermediate and secondary schools — this includes public, integrated and private schools. Dates and times may vary between schools and age groups.

Contact your child’s school for specific information

Contact the school for the specific dates and times for your child. You can search by the school name or address for the school’s contact details.

Contact your child's school to check dates — Education Counts

School term dates

Table 1: 2026 school terms
Term Starts Ends
1 Between Monday 26 January and Monday 9 February Thursday 2 April
2 Monday 20 April Friday 3 July
3 Monday 20 July Friday 25 September
4 Monday 12 October No later than Friday 18 December

School holiday dates

Table 2: 2026 school holidays
Term Starts Ends
1 Friday 3 April Sunday 19 April
2 Saturday 4 July Sunday 19 July
3 Saturday 26 September Sunday 11 October
4 No later than Saturday 19 December Between Thursday 28 January and Wednesday 3 February
Note: Early learning services generally follow the same terms and holiday dates as state schools.

School terms and holidays for future years

The Ministry of Education lists these dates along with downloadable calendars.

School terms and holiday dates — Ministry of Education

Public holidays and regional anniversary days

Check the dates of the national public holidays and regional anniversary days.

Dates for public holidays and anniversary days

Utility links and page information

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