Employees are entitled to 12 public holidays yearly in addition to their four weeks of annual leave, provided the public holidays fall on their regular working days.
Employees who work on public holidays must be paid at least a time and a half and may take a paid day off later if the holiday falls on a typical working day.
Employers can only require their employees to work on a public holiday if it's written in their employment agreement and it's a day they typically work. Otherwise, employers can ask their employees but can't force them to work on a public holiday.
If you're a shop owner, you can open on Easter Sunday but can't force your employees to work that day. Employees have the right to refuse without providing a reason.
If you plan to open on Easter Sunday, you must give your employees written notice of their right to refuse to work at least four weeks in advance but not earlier than eight weeks before.
Easter Sunday is not a public holiday. If you open your shop, you can pay your staff their regular wage, and they're not entitled to an alternative paid holiday.
The Matariki public holiday is new and is considered a standard national public holiday.
When a public holiday falls on a weekend, employees who don't work on weekends will have Monday as a paid public holiday, known as Mondayisation.
Waitangi Day, Anzac Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, and the day after New Year's Day are public holidays that can be moved to Monday (or Tuesday).
