Winston Aldworth: Let's shift the summer break to chase the sunshine

11:00 AM Tuesday Feb 26, 2013

Photo / Thinkstock

Some Kiwis, it seems, fancy a summer holiday period that better reflects the realities of our climate.

A survey by Tourism Bay of Plenty found almost a quarter of New Zealand adults would support a move to ditch December and move the summer holiday period back by two months. They clocked 24 per cent in voting for a move that would see work and school breaks in February. But the survey also recorded 38 per cent of respondents - let's call them The Decemberists - against the proposition. I think it's a belter of an idea. For a start, there's no way anyone would do any real work in December, so we'd get two bites of the summer cherry: the pseudo-holiday of Christmas and early January, followed by the real thing in February.

The roars of outrage from the Employers, Manufacturers and Slave-Drivers' Association would be lost amid the sound of cicadas and breaking waves on the February beaches.

The real winners would be the kids. The poor little blighters have their summer holidays - which are pretty much the raison d'etre of any Kiwi child - ruined by December rains and squally weather. As surely as Santa brings the showers, the Kiwi season settles in February.

Let's follow the sun.

By Winston Aldworth @WinstonAldworth

PostmanPat () | 01:45PM Tuesday, 26 Feb 2013

Except for the secondary school kids, who have to sit their exams at the end of the school year and therefore would be studying over Christmas - what a great way to spend the festive season.

Kiwimac () | 01:46PM Tuesday, 26 Feb 2013

Why do we need a 'summer holiday period' at all? We had no such thing in the UK in the 37 years I lived there - any employer trying to tell staff when they must be off would rapidly have found himself with no staff!

We are all adults who may want to take our holidays at different times from everyone else. Why can't we do that?

It is also very bad for our economy as we are effectively sht down for at least 1 month out of 12 when we could be being productive.

Also we shut down in the middle of the tourism season - madness!

Dusty (New Zealand) | 11:44AM Wednesday, 27 Feb 2013

There is no such thing as a summer holiday period, unless you are are school child. People just prefer to take leave at Christmas due to the 4 public holidays makes it worthwhile taking 6 days leave and getting 14-16 days holiday. The only way to change this is to abolish Boxing Day, New Year's Day and the day after and make up some new days in Feb all close together. I can't see this happening.