Public holiday pay for NZ salons: is it worth opening?
Opening on a public holiday can pay. It can also cost you more than staying shut. It comes down to two things: what the day costs in wages, and whether the clients are new or just moved from another day.
By Stevee Devonda, co-owner of Iron + Ivy, Queenstown, and Revolver, Arrowtown. Updated 17 October 2026.
The rules, in plain English
- If someone works a public holiday, they're paid at least time and a half for the hours they work.
- If it's a day they'd normally work, they also get a paid day off later (an alternative holiday, or day in lieu).
- If you close and it's a day they'd normally work, they're still paid for the day.
- There are 12 public holidays a year, including your regional anniversary day.
Those are the Holidays Act 2003 rules, which still apply while the new Employment Leave Act comes in over the next couple of years. Check employment.govt.nz for anything specific to your team.
The dates coming up
- Labour Day: Monday 26 October 2026.
- Christmas Day: Friday 25 December 2026.
- Boxing Day: Saturday 26 December 2026. For anyone who doesn't normally work Saturdays, the holiday moves to Monday 28 December. For a stylist who normally works Saturdays, it stays on the Saturday.
- New Year's Day: Friday 1 January 2027.
- 2 January: Saturday 2 January 2027. Moves to Monday 4 January for anyone who doesn't normally work Saturdays.
That Saturday rule matters in salons, because a lot of stylists work Saturdays. Two people on the same roster can have the holiday on different days.
A worked example
A stylist on $30 an hour works an eight hour public holiday that would normally be a working day for them:
| A normal day: 8 hours at $30 | $240 |
|---|---|
| The public holiday: 8 hours at $45 | $360 |
| Plus the paid day off later | $240 |
| Total for the holiday | $600 |
Two and a half days' pay for one day's work. If you'd have closed, you'd still pay the $240, so opening costs $360 more in wages for this stylist.
So when does opening pay?
A surcharge can cover it, but only if it's set on your real roster and takings, and only if those clients wouldn't have come on Tuesday anyway. If the day just moves bookings around, you've paid more for the same takings.
Three questions worth answering before you open: what's the extra wage cost across the whole roster, how many of the bookings are genuinely extra, and what surcharge makes the day worth it?
Public Holiday Pay Calculator
The Public Holiday Pay Calculator is part of The Numbers Room, opening soon. Get early access and you'll be first through the door.
An example. Who is owed what depends on each person's normal working days. General information, not employment advice.