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Story: Public holidays

Holiday surcharge

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Holiday surcharge

Under the Holidays Act 2003, anyone working on a public holiday must be paid time and a half and be given a day off in lieu. This has led many cafés and restaurants to introduce a surcharge to cover the extra costs of employing staff that day. However, some cafés, such as this one in Dunedin, have chosen instead to attract more custom by not having a surcharge on a public holiday.

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Otago Daily Times

by Gerard O'Brien

Permission of the Otago Daily Times must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Nancy Swarbrick, Public holidays – Public holidays legislation, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/32452/holiday-surcharge (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 14 March 2012.