As well as agreeing together about when you want to take your annual leave, your employer must give you the opportunity to take at least 2 weeks of your 4 weeks’ annual leave continuously.

Annual leave: more information — Employment New Zealand

• Taking annual holidaysEmployment New Zealand
• When employment endsEmployment New Zealand
• Impact of other types of holidays and leave on or by annual holidaysEmployment New Zealand
• Accrued annual holidaysEmployment New Zealand

Taking annual leave in advance

If you do not have any annual leave and you want to take time off, your employer might agree to let you take paid leave in advance. When you reach your next anniversary, you’ll get your annual leave entitlement, minus what you’ve already taken.

Taking holidays in advance — Employment New Zealand

Taking leave during an annual closedown

If your employer has an annual closedown, you have to take time off even if you do not have any annual leave. Annual closedowns often happen over Christmas and New Year, or for a seasonal break.

Your employer must give you at least 14 days’ notice of the closedown.

You have to take as much of your annual leave as required to cover the closedown period. If you do not have enough annual leave to cover the whole closedown period, you can take (if your employer agrees):

• annual leave in advance
• some leave without pay, or
• another form of leave.

If the closedown period includes any public holidays, you’ll be paid for them.

Closedowns: more information — Employment New Zealand

• Annual closedownsEmployment New Zealand
• Taking holidays in advanceEmployment New Zealand
• Leave without payEmployment New Zealand