This year New Zealand will be celebrating the King’s birthday on Monday 5 June.
Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, you may have questions relating to the upcoming public holiday. Here’s what you need to know.
Employment over the public holiday
The public holiday is a non-working day, and like the Queen’s Birthday, the King’s Birthday will continue to be observed on the first Monday in June.
Like all public holidays, employees get a paid day off if it’s an otherwise working day. An otherwise working day is a day that an employee would normally work had the day not been a public holiday.
If employees do work on the King’s birthday they must:
- be paid at least time and a half, and
- get an alternative holiday on pay (as long as the public holiday is a day that would normally be at work).
Employers can only require an employee to work on a public holiday if it’s written into their employment agreement, and it’s a day the employee would usually work. If that’s not the case, employers can ask an employee to work on a public holiday, but the employee doesn’t have to agree.
Trading restrictions will not apply on the King’s Birthday. This means shops and hospitality venues may open and apply the normal rules for employees who work on a public holiday.
If you’re an employer and need help working out what you need to pay employees, you can visit:
Calculating payments for holidays and leave
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