Matariki trading: What’s open, and why your coffee could cost more

Thursday, 9 July 2026

A special episode of The Hui from Takaparawhau, home to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and the site of the national hautapu ceremony celebrating Matariki.

Matariki is nearly here, bringing a long weekend for many New Zealanders, and, unlike Easter or Christmas, most businesses are free to open as normal.

Retail stores, supermarkets, shopping malls, cafés, restaurants, hairdressers, cinemas, museums and other businesses can all trade on the public holiday, although some may operate reduced hours.

If you’re planning a trip out or to the shops, it’s worth checking an individual business’s opening times before heading out.

Can shops open on Matariki?

Yes.

Matariki is not one of New Zealand’s restricted trading days.

Matariki is nearly here, bringing a long weekend for many New Zealanders, and, unlike Easter or Christmas, most businesses are free to open as normal.

The only days when most shops must close by law are Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and until 1pm on Anzac Day.

That means retailers can choose whether to open on Matariki and set their own trading hours.

Why are some cafés and restaurants charging more?

Hospitality businesses may apply a public holiday surcharge on Matariki.

Under employment law, staff who work on a public holiday must generally be paid at least time-and-a-half for the hours they work.

Employees who would normally have worked that day are also entitled to an alternative paid holiday.

Retail stores, supermarkets, shopping malls, cafés, restaurants, hairdressers, cinemas, museums and other businesses can all trade on the public holiday, although some may operate reduced hours.

Some cafés, bars and restaurants offset those higher staffing costs by adding a surcharge to customer bills.

Businesses can decide whether to apply a surcharge and how much to charge, but it must be clearly disclosed before customers make a purchase.

The Commerce Commission says businesses must accurately explain why a surcharge applies and ensure customers know about it before they order or pay.

The singer-storyteller says he's still learning what our newest national holiday is all about.

When is Matariki?

Unlike most public holidays, Matariki does not fall on the same calendar date each year.

The holiday is based on the appearance of the Matariki star cluster in the midwinter sky and is observed on different Fridays each year. The Government announced the dates through to 2052 following advice from the Matariki Advisory Group.

This year’s public holiday falls on Friday, July 10.

Matariki marks the Māori New Year and is a time to remember those who have died, celebrate the present with whānau and friends, and look ahead to the year to come.

The first official Matariki public holiday was celebrated in June 2022, making it New Zealand’s first public holiday to formally recognise Te Ao Māori.