The following lists events that have happened or are expected to happen during 2026 in New Zealand.
Population Estimated population as of 31 March – 5,361,300 Increase since 31 March 2025 – 43,500 (0.8%) Males per 100 females – 98.5
Incumbents
Regal and vice-regal Head of state – Charles III Governor-General – Dame Cindy Kiro
Government Legislature term: 54th New Zealand Parliament until 1 October
The Sixth National Government, elected in 2023, continues
Speaker of the House – Gerry Brownlee Prime Minister – Christopher Luxon Deputy Prime Minister – David Seymour Leader of the House – Chris Bishop until 7 April, then Louise Upston Minister of Finance – Nicola Willis Minister of Foreign Affairs – Winston Peters
Other party leaders in parliament Labour – Chris Hipkins (Leader of the Opposition) Green – Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick ACT – David Seymour NZ First – Winston Peters Te Pāti Māori – Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer
Judiciary Chief Justice – Helen Winkelmann President of the Court of Appeal – Christine French Chief High Court judge – Sally Fitzgerald Chief District Court judge – Heemi Taumaunu
Main centre leaders Mayor of Auckland – Wayne Brown Mayor of Tauranga – Mahé Drysdale Mayor of Hamilton – Tim Macindoe Mayor of Wellington – Andrew Little Mayor of Christchurch – Phil Mauger Mayor of Dunedin – Sophie Barker
Events
January 1 January – Manage My Health, provider of the country's biggest patient health information portal, confirms a data breach affecting "6–7 percent of the approximately 1.8 million registered users", around 120,000 people. The breach may have resulted from ManageMyHealth's outdated encryption software. A ransom demand for $60,000, for 108 GB of data, was reportedly made by a person or group named Kazu. 2 January: Members of the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) stage a one-hour strike at mid-day as part of a pay dispute with Fire and Emergency New Zealand. The Mayoral Relief Fund is activated for Horowhenua residents in response to recent windstorm damage in late December 2025. 3 January: Heavy rain causes flash flooding in Wairoa. MetService issues heavy rain and severe thunderstorm warnings in the upper and eastern North Island. Overnight flooding in Tolaga Bay leads to the closure of State Highway 35 between Tolaga Bay and Okitu, and the evacuation of local residents. Social networking website Neighbourly confirms that 150 GB of data including usernames, emails, GPS coordinates, posts and messages were stolen during a data breach that occurred on New Year's Day. 5 January – The High Court of New Zealand grants an injunction filed by ManageMyHealth to prevent third parties from accessing patients' data obtained during a recent data breach. Health Minister Simeon Brown commissions a review in response to the ManageMyHealth cyber security breach. 7 January – High Court Justice David Johnston issues an injunction preventing anyone from publishing stolen data from Neighbourly. 8 January: The MV Connemara is forced to return to Wellington due to a mechanical fault with its ramp. Two hundred passengers are stranded overnight. Fifty-five pilot whales are stranded on Farewell Spit in the upper South Island. 9 January: The Department of Conservation reports that the critically endangered kākāpō started breeding previous week for the first time in four years. A 5.4 magnitude earthquake strikes Waverley, Taranaki at a depth of 107km. Members of the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union stage a second one-hour strike at midday during an industrial dispute. The strike coincides with a fire in Pakuranga that destroys a grocery store. Six pilot whales die on Farewell Spit. They were part of a pod of whales that had become stranded the previous day. 11 January – Fifteen pilot whales restrand themselves in Farewell Spit despite efforts by Project Jonah volunteers to refloat them, with two dying overnight. 12 January – Project Jonah volunteers euthanize the 13 remaining stranded pilot whales in Farewell Spit following five failed attempts to refloat them. 13 January – Protesters expressing solidarity with the 2025–2026 Iranian protests gather outside the Iranian Embassy in Wellington. Police monitor the protests and arrest two people for willful damage. 16 January – Heavy rain causes landslides in the Waioweka Gorge, trapping several commuters and leading to the closure of State Highway 2 between Mātāwai and Waioweka. Police and helicopters evacuate 40 people overnight. 18 January: Heavy rain causes flooding, travel disruptions and landslides in parts of the Northland Region including the Whangarei District, east and south of Kawakawa and south of the Far North District. About 100 people march in Army Bay in the Whangaparāoa Peninsula to protest against the depletion of sea life in local rock pools by recreational fishers. 19 January – Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Kiribati Vice-President Teuea Toatu sign a statement in Tarawa renewing New Zealand's aid assistance to Kiribati. 20 January – A preemptive state of emergency is declared in the Whangarei District in response to an approaching heavy rain front. 21 January: Christopher Luxon announces the 2026 New Zealand general election will be held on 7 November. A precautionary state of emergency is declared in the Thames-Coromandel District in response to expected heavy rain and flooding. 22 January – Several people are reported missing after a slip crashes into a Mount Maunganui camp-site, and two bodies are recovered after a slip damages a house in Welcome Bay, seriously injuring another person. Multiple roads are closed in the Thames-Coromandel District after widespread flooding and slips. 24 January – Police confirm the deaths of six missing people during a landslip at a Mount Maunganui campsite on 22 January. 27 January: New Zealand Post announces that it plans to close 142 retail stores nationwide. Sky Network Television signs an exclusive content sharing agreement with Paramount Skydance. 28 January: Cabinet minister Judith Collins announces she will retire as an MP in the middle of the year. The Tauranga City Council evacuates 150 people in Pāpāmoa in response to a new landslip. 29 January: The governing National and opposition Labour parties agree to co-sponsor new legislation targeting modern slavery despite opposition from the ACT party. The New Zealand Parliament passes legislation formalising the New Zealand Crown's Treaty of Waitangi settlement with Ngāti Hāua; which includes NZ$19 million worth of financial redress, the return of 64 culturally-significant sites and posthumous pardons for Mātene Rita Te Whareaitu and Te Rangiātea. 30 January: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirm that New Zealand will not join US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, which aims to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza. Nine Entertainment acquires QMS, the owner of MediaWorks New Zealand, for NZ$986 million (A$850 million). 31 January: EB Games shuts down all of its retail stores in New Zealand, followed by the expected closure of its distribution centre on 28 February. The Destiny Church-affiliated The Freedoms & Rights Coalition and Eru Kapa-Kingi's Toitū te Aroha movement hold separate protests in Auckland. Police establish a cordon at the Fanshawe Street motor ramps to prevent Coalition protesters from marching onto the Auckland Harbour Bridge. A Black Cat Cruises passenger vessel capsizes in Akaroa Harbour, leading to the evacuation of 38 passengers and three crew members. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) launches an investigation into the incident.
February 1 February: A change to the Government's fees prescription policy comes into force. People can pay $5 co-payments for 12-monthly prescriptions instead of having to pay $5 for every single prescription. General practitioners and nurse practitioners are able to diagnose adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and prescribe stimulant medicines. 2 February: The New Zealand Government launches a new five-point student achievement grading system focusing on reading, writing and mathematics. The Tauranga City Council votes to commission an independent external review into the Mount Maunganui landslide. 4 February: Equipment failure at the Moa Point wastewater treatment plant cause 70 million litres of untreated wastewater daily to seep into Wellington's south coast waters. Local authorities issue a warning for people not to swim or collect seafood from these waters due to waste contamination. Health New Zealand declares the end of the 2025 New Zealand measles outbreak, after 42 days had passed since the last confirmed case on 21 December 2025. 5 February – The fast-track approvals panel issues a draft decision declining Trans-Tasman Resources's application to mine the South Taranaki Bight for 30 years, citing credible risks to local fauna and concerns about sediment plume and noise levels. A final decision is expected on 18 March 2026. 9 February: The Court of Appeal of New Zealand begins hearing convicted Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant's appeal against his convictions and life sentence. Georgie Dansey is elected as a list MP for the Labour Party following the resignation of Adrian Rurawhe. The Government announces it would build a new liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, which would be funded by a levy on electricity of between $2 and $4/MWh. 11 February: The Government initiates a review of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic to lower the official cash rate to 0.25 and inject NZ$55 million worth of digital money into the New Zealand economy. Former Member of Parliament Arthur Anae leads a delegation presenting a 45,000-strong petition to the New Zealand Parliament urging the Government to ease visa requirements for nationals of Pacific Islands countries. The delegation is received by Winston Peters. 12 February: Health New Zealand abandons plans to charge market rates for hospital car parks. Flight attendants affiliated with the Flight Attendants' Association of New Zealand and E tū unions launch a two-day strike, affecting several Air New Zealand flights. 13 February: MetService issues an orange heavy rain warning for the Bay of Plenty east of Ōpōtiki and the Gisborne District north of Tolaga Bay. A yellow heavy rain warning is issued for the rest of the North Island. The Hastings District Council issues an evacuation order for residents of the Clifton Motor Camp's campground near Cape Kidnappers due to a high landslide risk. Food manufacturing company Talley's Group lodges an appeal at the Court of Appeal against a High Court ruling dismissing its defamation case against broadcaster TVNZ. 14 February: 80 people are evacuated following flash flooding in the Ōtorohanga District. A local state of emergency is declared. Many road and highways in the district are flooded. The body of a man is recovered from a submerged car at Puketotara on State Highway 93. A state of emergency is declared in the Waipā District following heavy rain and flash flooding. The Christchurch City Council issues a boil water notice for several eastern Christchurch suburbs due to bacteria contamination in the Rawhiti water supply zone. 15 February: Wellington Water chair Nick Leggett resigns following a major breakdown at the Moa Point sewage treatment plant on 4 February. A state of emergency is declared in response to flash flooding in the Tararua District. Red heavy rain warnings are issued in the Manawatū, Rangitikei and Ruapehu Districts. Stormy weather also causes the cancellation of several Interislander and Bluebridge ferry services across the Cook Strait.