NZ working day use cases
Follow worked examples for property deadlines, meeting notices, employee leave and resource consent submissions. Each shows the settings and the result. For help with the calculator, see the NZ guide. For observed public holidays, read the mondayisation article.
Contents
Lawyer: find a property settlement date
You are acting for the buyer of a house in Lower Hutt. Their agreement becomes unconditional on 16 December 2026, and settlement is due 20 working days later. The client needs to book movers, and the bank needs to arrange the funds. With Christmas, New Year and Wellington Anniversary approaching, you need to work out the settlement date using the signed agreement's definition of a working day.
Settings, in form order
- Calculation type
- Deadline
- Counting method
- Working days
- Regional anniversary days
- Wellington
- Additional excluded periods
- ADLS / TLANZ–REINZ / NZS 391x (24 December – 5 January)
- Include the start date
- Off
- Include the deadline date
- On
- Start date
- 16 December 2026
- Number
- 20
- Unit
- Days
- Direction
- Forward
Result
Wednesday 27 January 2027
The count skips the ADLS summer exclusion (24 December to 5 January) and Wellington Anniversary. After calculating, check Calculation details and Non-working dates before sharing the settlement date.
View calculator setup
Real estate agent: count a deposit's 10-working-day holding period
You are a real estate agent handling a property sale. You received the deposit on 13 December 2026 and are holding it in your trust account. The seller asks when the money can be released. You need to work out when the full 10-working-day holding period ends over Christmas and New Year, then check whether any other restriction prevents release.
Settings, in form order
- Calculation type
- Deadline
- Counting method
- Working days
- Regional anniversary days
- None
- Additional excluded periods
- Legislation Act definition (25 December – 2 January)
- Include the start date
- Off
- Include the deadline date
- Off
- Start date
- 13 December 2026
- Number
- 10
- Unit
- Days
- Direction
- Forward
Result
Wednesday 6 January 2027
Both date-inclusion checkboxes are off: the deposit date is not counted, and release follows the full holding period. The count leaves out weekends, public holidays and the summer exclusion (25 December to 2 January). This example leaves out regional anniversaries. After calculating, check the release date and Calculation details.
View calculator setup
Company director: find the notice date for a shareholders' meeting
You are a company director arranging a shareholders' meeting to approve a transaction. The transaction needs shareholder approval by 15 January 2026, so the meeting is scheduled for 14 January 2026. You need to give at least 10 working days' notice. With the summer period (25 December to 2 January) interrupting the count, you want to find the latest notice date and allow enough time to send the notice in the required way.
Settings, in form order
- Calculation type
- Deadline
- Counting method
- Working days
- Regional anniversary days
- None
- Additional excluded periods
- Legislation Act definition (25 December – 2 January)
- Include the start date
- Off
- Include the deadline date
- Off
- Start date
- 14 January 2026
- Number
- 10
- Unit
- Days
- Direction
- Backward
Result
Friday 19 December 2025
This is the date produced by the selected counting rules. Allow separately for any requirements about sending or receiving the notice. After calculating, check the notice date and Calculation details.
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HR manager: count working days in a leave period
You manage leave records for a team that works Monday to Friday. An employee has applied for leave from 16 December 2026 returning to work on 6 January 2027. Their absence spans Christmas and New Year, so the number of calendar days away is different from the number of working days. You need a day count to check the leave request and explain the deduction to the employee.
Settings, in form order
- Calculation type
- Days between
- Counting method
- Working days
- Regional anniversary days
- None
- Additional excluded periods
- None
- Include the start date
- On
- Include the end date
- Off
- Start date
- 16 December 2026
- End date
- 6 January 2027
Result
11 working days
The result is a day count for these settings. Check the employee's usual working days and public-holiday entitlements before deducting leave. After calculating, check the day count and Non-working dates.
View calculator setup
Planner/consultant: count a resource consent submission period
You are a planner advising a neighbour about a proposed development. You receive notification of a resource consent application on 25 November 2026. Your client wants to make a submission, which is due within 20 working days from the following day. The Resource Management Act's Christmas/New Year exclusion period (20 Dec - 10 Jan) interrupts the timetable. You need the closing date so the client can gather evidence and finish the submission in time.
Settings, in form order
- Calculation type
- Deadline
- Counting method
- Working days
- Regional anniversary days
- None
- Additional excluded periods
- Resource Management Act definition (20 December – 10 January)
- Include the start date
- Off
- Include the deadline date
- On
- Start date
- 25 November 2026
- Number
- 20
- Unit
- Days
- Direction
- Forward
Result
Wednesday 13 January 2027
The count pauses over the RMA summer exclusion and resumes in January. After calculating, check the deadline and the skipped dates in Non-working dates.
View calculator setup
Property transaction: plan due diligence, finance and settlement
You are helping a buyer plan a property purchase in Wellington. The buyer and seller have agreed the offer on 8 December 2026, with 10 working days for due diligence, followed by 5 for finance and 20 for settlement. For planning, you assume each stage finishes on its due date and the next starts then. With the ADLS summer shutdown period (24 Dec - 5 Jan), you need to see when each stage will finish so the buyer can arrange inspections, finance and the move.
Settings, in form order
- Calculation type
- Sequential
- Start date
- 8 December 2026
Due Diligence
- Counting method
- Working days
- Regional anniversary days
- Wellington
- Additional excluded periods
- ADLS / TLANZ–REINZ / NZS 391x (24 December – 5 January)
- Include the start date
- Off
- Include the deadline date
- On
- Number
- 10
- Unit
- Days
- Direction
- Forward
Finance
- Counting method
- Working days
- Regional anniversary days
- Wellington
- Additional excluded periods
- ADLS / TLANZ–REINZ / NZS 391x (24 December – 5 January)
- Include the start date
- Off
- Include the deadline date
- On
- Number
- 5
- Unit
- Days
- Direction
- Forward
Settlement
- Counting method
- Working days
- Regional anniversary days
- Wellington
- Additional excluded periods
- ADLS / TLANZ–REINZ / NZS 391x (24 December – 5 January)
- Include the start date
- Off
- Include the deadline date
- On
- Number
- 20
- Unit
- Days
- Direction
- Forward
Result
Period 1 (due diligence)
Tuesday 8 December 2026 to Tuesday 22 December 2026
Period 2 (finance)
Tuesday 22 December 2026 to Monday 11 January 2027
Period 3 (settlement)
Monday 11 January 2027 to Wednesday 10 February 2027
Sequential uses each result as the next period's start date. The ADLS shutdown (24 Dec to 5 Jan) and Wellington Anniversary are skipped where they fall within a period. After calculating, check each period’s settings and result.
View calculator setup
