Matariki 2027

Matariki 2027 is Friday 25 June. It's a national public holiday, so anyone who works Monday to Friday gets a three-day weekend from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 June. In 2026 the holiday was Friday 10 July. In 2028 it's Friday 14 July.

What Matariki is

Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades, an open star cluster in the constellation of Taurus. The Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act 2022 calls it the star of the Māori New Year. The same Act describes it as a time to gather, to acknowledge those who have passed, to celebrate the present, and to plan for the future.

The Act sets out three principles for Matariki:

• Remembrance: honouring those who have died since the last rising of Matariki.
• Celebrating the present: gathering together with family and friends.
• Looking to the future: looking forward to the promise of a new year.

The holiday's official name is Te Rā Aro ki a Matariki, or Matariki Observance Day. The first Matariki public holiday was Friday 24 June 2022.

Why the date changes every year

Matariki is part of an environmental calendar that follows the sun, the stars, the phases of the moon and local ecological events. Because of that, the holiday doesn't sit on a fixed date. Instead, the Act lists the exact date for each year from 2022 to 2052. Every one is a Friday in June or July, so it never needs Mondayising.

Matariki dates 2022 to 2052

These are the dates in Schedule 1 of the Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act 2022.

Two long weekends in June 2027

King's Birthday is Monday 7 June 2027, so June 2027 has two long weekends: 5 to 7 June, then Matariki from 25 to 27 June. June 2027 has 20 working days once weekends and both holidays are taken out. Our King's Birthday 2027 guide has more on that one.

Is Matariki in the school holidays?

Not in 2027. Matariki falls during Term 2, which runs from Tuesday 27 April to Friday 2 July 2027, so schools are closed for the day. In 2026 Matariki fell in the July school holidays. In 2028 it falls in the July holidays again, which run from Saturday 8 to Sunday 23 July 2028. See the school holidays guide for every term date.

Working on Matariki

Matariki is treated like any other public holiday. If you work on it, you get at least time and a half. If it falls on a day you'd normally work, you also get an alternative holiday, a paid day off to take later.

Common questions

Sources: New Zealand Legislation, Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act 2022 (section 3 and Schedule 1) and Holidays Act 2003 (sections 50 and 56). Employment New Zealand, Public holidays and anniversary dates. Ministry of Education, School terms and holidays dates. Dates checked October 2026.