Breadcrumb

Maximise Your Annual Leave in 2022 | Main Region

Our annual leave hacks – the best time to take a holiday in 2023

Everyone deserves a break from work and with some clever preparation, you can maximise your annual leave in 2023 and more than double your paid time off.

We look at how to achieve the maximum possible downtime by taking advantage of public holidays and weekends. With these annual leave hacks for 2023, you’ll return to work recharged and ready to perform at your best.

Annual leave and public holidays

Four weeks of paid annual leave is standard, but it can disappear quickly. To make the most of your paid time off, align it to weekends and public holidays. By strategically approaching your standard 20 days of annual leave, you’ll unlock more rejuvenating and purposeful time off. What’s more, by cleverly pegging your selected dates to Australian public holidays, you’ll double your time off without resorting to unpaid leave.

Here are some of the best dates to book.

Maximise your annual leave 2023

Christmas 2022 and New Year’s 2023 – book three days and get 11

Christmas Day falls on a Sunday in 2022. The Boxing Day public holiday is on Monday, 26 December, with a Christmas Day public holiday on Tuesday, 27 December. The New Year’s Day public holiday falls on Monday, 2 January 2023. The day after New Year’s Day is on Tuesday, 3 January 2023.

Book three days annual leave: Take three days’ annual leave on Wednesday, 28 December, Thursday, 29 December and Friday, 30 December before New Year’s Eve.

Your 11-day break: You’ll enjoy an 11-day break, from Saturday, 24 December, 2022 through to Tuesday, 3 January, 2023.

Waitangi Day 2023 – book four days and get four

In 2023, Waitangi Day falls on a Monday.

Book one day of annual leave: Take an extra day of annual leave on Friday 3 February.

Your four-day break: For the cost of one day of annual leave, you’ll get an extra long weekend from 3-6 February.

Easter 2023 – book four days and get ten

In 2023, Good Friday falls a little earlier than last year on 7 April, with Easter Monday following on 10 April.

Book four days annual leave: Take annual leave from 3-6 April.

Your 11-day break: You’ll enjoy a 10-day break from Saturday, 1 April 1 through to Monday, 10 April.

Anzac Day 2023 – book four days and get nine

ANZAC Day takes place on 25 April, which in 2023 will fall on a Tuesday.

Book four days annual leave: Book annual leave on 24 April as well as from 26-28 April.

Your nine-day break: This gives you a total of nine days off from 22 April to 30 April.

Kings’s Birthday 2023 – book four days and get nine

In 2023 the King's Birthday public holiday falls on Monday 5 June.

Get a four or nine-day break: You can go about this two ways. Take annual leave out for the four days after the Monday to get nine total days, or just take Friday 2 June to give yourself a four-day weekend.

Matariki 2023 – book four days and get nine

Matariki falls on Friday 14 July for a three-day weekend.

Book four days annual leave: Book annual leave on 10-13 July.

Your nine-day break: This gives you a total of nine days off from 10-16 June.

Christmas 2023 and New Year’s 2024 – book three days and get ten

Christmas Day falls on a Monday in 2023 with the Boxing Day public holiday following on Tuesday, 26 December. The New Year’s Day public holiday falls on Monday, 1 January 2024.

Book three days annual leave: Take three days’ annual leave from 27-29 December.

Your 10-day break: This will bring your total days off to 10, letting you enjoy and extended break over the summer, from Saturday, 23 December through to Tuesday, 2 January.

What annual leave am I entitled to and how much annual leave can I accrue?

Annual leave is a longstanding entitlement in Australian workplaces. In Australia, annual leave entitlements are part of Australia’s National Employment Standards.

Annual leave is a longstanding entitlement in New Zealand workplaces. In New Zealand, according to the New Zealand Government, employees are entitled to at least four weeks’ paid annual leave per year if they work regular full-time hours, and the equivalent for part-time hours.

In New Zealand, the first official right to annual leave for all citizens dates back to the 1940s. The Annual Holidays Act 1944 granted employees two weeks’ paid holiday entitlement, and this paid period was stretched to three weeks in 1974, before reaching four in 2007.

Why take annual leave, exactly?

Many professionals tend to horde their annual leave. Perhaps you, too, have several days or weeks of annual leave accrued. But it’s important to remember that taking regular, consistent breaks throughout the year helps manage your overall stress and can mean you avoid taking a one-way trip to burnout.

The World Health Organisation recognises burnout as an “’occupational phenomenon”. Burnout syndrome, it states, is the result of chronic workplace stress unsuccessfully managed. Symptoms include:

Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
Mental distance from work
More negative feelings or cynicism regarding one’s job
Decreased professional efficacy

It’s well-known that it often takes over-worked employees some days to really hit their stride in the holiday zone. Therefore, when you cleverly maximise your annual leave, you’ll help avoid burnout. You can read more tips on how to avoid burnout here.

Your annual leave plan 2023

With the above annual leave plan in place, you’ll enjoy some proper downtime. No matter how you like to unwind, by making the most of your annual leave, the potential to rest, relax and reset looks very promising.