At the very start of June we have Queen’s Birthday Weekend – then it’s nearly half a year until the next statutory holiday, Labour Weekend at the end of October.

A few years ago we asked this question – why do we have a statutory holiday on January 2nd? It seems to be a recovery day after New Years Day – one that is absorbed into long weekends or annual leave at a time when many are on holiday already.  

So we asked if perhaps instead of having that stat holiday on January 2nd, what if we moved it to the middle of winter to break up the long stretch?  Some even mooted celebrating some sort of “Outdoors Day” as even in the depths of winter New Zealanders love to get out.