King’s Birthday is a public holiday with no trading restrictions, but some businesses may add a 15% surcharge.
Expect cooler weather with showers and breezy southwesterlies, especially in coastal and southern areas.
Heavy traffic is anticipated on major routes, particularly around Auckland and Wellington, with peak times identified.
Monday is King’s Birthday. Except it isn’t. Confused? Don’t be – here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming public holiday.
Are shops and businesses open on King’s Birthday?
Businesses don’t face trading restrictions for King’s Birthday like they do on Easter holidays, Christmas or the first halfof Anzac Day. Shops, restaurants and cafes can open as usual, but it pays to check opening hours as some may choose to operate on a reduced schedule.
As a public holiday, the King’s Birthday is a non-working day. So, if you’re working on Monday as regularly rostered, you’re entitled to time-and-a-half pay and an alternative day off.
Some businesses, particularly those in the hospitality sector, add a 15% surcharge to their services on public holidays to cover the costs of paying employees time-and-a-half.
Those that are charging a surcharge must have clear signage communicating this to customers. If a customer believes they have been misled about a surcharge, they can complain to the Commerce Commission.
Businesses don't have trading restrictions on King's Birthday, but some may pass a surcharge on to customers. Photo / Alex Burton
What should I do this weekend?
Yet to make plans for King’s Birthday weekend? Not to worry. Whether you’re staying in Auckland or Christchurch, Northland or Wellington, our travel team has collated the best activities for regions across Aotearoa.
Winter weather is expected to set in this long weekend. Photo / Bevan Conley.
What will the weather be like this weekend?
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane told the Herald that Kiwis should expect a “noticeable cooler feeling” in the air as winter begins this weekend.
She said that would be because of a southwesterly flow over the country.
Makgabutlane said overall, the long weekend was not looking like a washout at this stage but there would be periods of showers.
She said coastal areas in the western parts of the country, as well as the lower South Island, could have breezy southwesterlies, which might create some large waves.
“That’s maybe a bit of an early heads-up for anybody who is thinking about being near the coast in those areas.”
Major roadworks generally pause during holiday weekends to ease road congestion. Photo / Alex Cairns
Am I going to get stuck in traffic if I try to escape the city?
To help keep journeys flowing, major roadworks generally pause during holiday weekends but NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi’s Journey Planner has identified several choke points where traffic will likely build up at peak times this weekend.
Traffic on the Northern and Southern motorways out of Auckland is expected to increase as people leave the city for the long weekend. Traffic on SH1 southbound between Wellsford and Pūhoi is expected to be at its heaviest between 2pm and 4pm on Monday.
From Manukau to Bombay on SH1 there are several periods where traffic will be heavy and slow-moving, the transport agency warns. Heading south, traffic is expected to be busy from 7.30am through to 8pm on Friday, before peaking between 9am and 11am on Saturday.
Northbound traffic will be busy between noon and 6pm on Sunday and from 11am through to 3pm Monday as Aucklanders return home.
In Wellington, northbound traffic on SH2 near Petone will be at its heaviest between 3pm and 5pm on Friday, with southbound motorists peaking on Saturday evening between 4pm and 7pm.
Acting director of road policing, Inspector Peter McKennie, urged motorists to put safety first this weekend and take their time, drive to the conditions and be patient.
“So many of the crashes we’ve attended this year have been preventable, and that’s a tragedy.”
Motorists can expect extra police to be patrolling the roads across the King’s Birthday weekend period, with McKennie signalling officers would be on the watch for infringements related to restraints, impairment through the likes of alcohol and drugs, distractions such as cellphones, and speed.
“Those are four areas we’re targeting because we know it can save lives. A split-second decision can be the difference between life and death.”
King Charles III was born on November 14, 1948, which makes his zodiac sign a Scorpio. Photo / Getty Images
Is it actually the King’s Birthday?
No. Though this weekend’s public holiday commemorates the birthday of the sovereign, it doesn’t correlate to the actual day of his birth. The current monarch, King Charles III, was born at Buckingham Palace on November 14, 1948, which means his zodiac sign is Scorpio.
The tradition began in 1748, initiated by fellow Scorpio George II, who considered his birthday of November 10 too cold to host a celebratory parade.
Aotearoa marks the King’s Birthday on the first Monday in June, and most Commonwealth nations observe the holiday in May or June, months that have a higher probability of fine weather in the Northern Hemisphere.
Historically, New Zealand did observe the public holiday on the actual birthday of the sovereign, but that changed with the Sovereign’s Birthday Observance Act of 1937, prompted by the abdication of King Edward VIII on December 11, 1936.
King Edward was succeeded by George VI, who was proclaimed King on his birthday, December 14, meaning the country had two King’s Birthday holidays that year.
Peter Beck and Theresa Gattung both picked up top gongs in the 2024 King's Birthday Honours.
What about King’s Birthday Honours?
Like most Commonwealth realms, New Zealand releases a Birthday Honours list. Approved by the King or the Prime Minister, the Birthday Honours are one of two annual honours lists, along with the New Year Honours, which recognise those who have achieved and served society.
The first 2025 appointments to the New Zealand Order of Merit will be announced on Monday. Last year, the top recognitions were dominated by figures from the business world with three of the four new Knight and Dame Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit being Kiwi commerce pioneers.
