By Adrian Huber, CEO of Corient, a B2B marketing agency in Sydney.
The best campaigns aren't planned in the month they run. They're planned six to eight weeks earlier, when there's still time to write the copy, build the landing page and test the offer. That's why now is the time to map out 2027.
This marketing calendar covers the key dates for businesses in Australia and New Zealand, month by month: public holidays, the end of financial year, school holidays, retail peaks and the planning windows that matter to tech founders. For each month you'll find what to run and when to start planning.
Key takeaways
- Australia's financial year ends on Wednesday 30 June 2027. Most New Zealand businesses close their year on Wednesday 31 March 2027.
- Easter is early in 2027: Good Friday is 26 March and Easter Monday is 29 March in both countries.
- Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday, so most workers get Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December off instead.
- Black Friday is Friday 26 November 2027 and Cyber Monday is 29 November.
- Public and school holidays vary by state, territory and region. Always check the official sources linked below before you lock in dates.
How to use this calendar
Dates in this calendar come from official sources, including the Fair Work Ombudsman, Employment New Zealand and state and national education departments. Where a date hasn't been announced yet, it's marked TBC.
Three rules make any marketing calendar work:
- Plan six to eight weeks ahead for most campaigns, and ten to twelve for big moments like EOFY and Black Friday.
- Pick your moments. You don't need a campaign for every date. Choose the four to six that matter most to your customers.
- Plan around holidays, not just for them. For B2B, long weekends and school holidays are often when response rates drop. Avoid launching then.
January 2027
Key dates
- Friday 1 January: New Year's Day (Australia and NZ).
- Monday 4 January: observed day after New Year's Day for many NZ workers (the actual date is Saturday 2 January).
- Tuesday 26 January: Australia Day.
- Regional NZ anniversary days: Wellington on Monday 25 January. Auckland Anniversary is observed on Monday 1 February.
- School holidays: NSW summer holidays run until Wednesday 27 January (eastern division). NZ schools return between Thursday 28 January and Wednesday 3 February.
What to run: "New year, new plan" content, planning templates and offers that help customers start the year well. For B2B, the second half of January is when decision-makers return and start acting on plans.
When to plan: by early December 2026, before the summer break.
For tech founders: January is a strong month for product launches and pricing changes, as customers set their own priorities for the year. Avoid the first two weeks, when many offices are still quiet.
February 2027
Key dates
- Saturday 6 February: Waitangi Day (NZ), observed on Monday 8 February for those who don't usually work Saturdays.
- Saturday 6 February: Lunar New Year, starting the Year of the Goat.
- Sunday 14 February: Valentine's Day.
- School returns: NSW Term 1 starts for students on Wednesday 3 February (eastern division).
What to run: Valentine's Day offers for consumer brands. Lunar New Year campaigns for brands with Asian-Australian and Asian-New Zealander customers. Back-to-school and back-to-work campaigns.
When to plan: early January.
For tech founders: February is a full working month in both countries. It's a good time for webinars, outbound and LinkedIn campaigns, as people are settled back at their desks.
March 2027
Key dates
- Monday 8 March: Labour Day (Victoria), Canberra Day (ACT) and Adelaide Cup Day (South Australia).
- Monday 8 March: Taranaki Anniversary (NZ). Otago Anniversary is observed on Monday 22 March.
- Friday 26 March: Good Friday (Australia and NZ).
- Saturday 27 March: Easter Saturday, a public holiday in most Australian states and territories (names vary).
- Sunday 28 March: Easter Sunday.
- Monday 29 March: Easter Monday (Australia and NZ).
- Tuesday 30 March: Easter Tuesday is a school holiday in NZ, and Southland Anniversary is observed that day.
- Wednesday 31 March: end of the financial year for most NZ businesses.
What to run: Easter campaigns, which start early this year. NZ end-of-financial-year offers for business customers using up budget. Autumn campaigns for retail.
When to plan: by late January for Easter, and by mid-February for NZ EOFY.
For tech founders: if you sell to NZ businesses, March is budget-close month. Annual plan offers, prepaid deals and "use it before you lose it" campaigns can work well.
April 2027
Key dates
- Thursday 1 April: new financial year begins for most NZ businesses.
- School holidays: NSW autumn holidays run Monday 12 April to Friday 23 April. NZ school holidays run Saturday 10 April to Monday 26 April.
- Sunday 25 April: Anzac Day (Australia and NZ).
- Monday 26 April: observed or additional Anzac Day holiday in NZ and most Australian states and territories. Victoria has no replacement holiday. Check your state.
What to run: school holiday campaigns for family, travel and entertainment brands. New-year budgets in NZ mean fresh spending for business customers. Anzac Day calls for respect: most brands should avoid promotional campaigns around it.
When to plan: early March.
For tech founders: this is when Australian companies start building their budgets for the financial year that begins in July. Get in front of them now with case studies, ROI calculators and planning content.
May 2027
Key dates
- Monday 3 May: Labour Day (Queensland) and May Day (Northern Territory).
- Sunday 9 May: Mother's Day (Australia and NZ).
- Monday 31 May: Reconciliation Day (ACT).
- Australian federal Budget: date TBC.
What to run: Mother's Day campaigns for consumer brands, starting at least two weeks before. EOFY pre-launch for Australian brands, such as teasers, waitlists and early-access offers.
When to plan: early April for Mother's Day. Start EOFY planning in April.
For tech founders: May is your last full month to influence Australian budgets before EOFY. Run outbound and retargeting to warm prospects.
June 2027
Key dates
- Monday 7 June: King's Birthday (NZ).
- Monday 14 June: King's Birthday (most Australian states and territories). Queensland marks it on Monday 4 October and Western Australia on Monday 27 September.
- Friday 25 June: Matariki (NZ).
- Wednesday 30 June: end of the financial year (Australia).
- EOFY sales: run through June. Exact retailer dates TBC.
What to run: EOFY sales are a major retail moment in Australia, and a key moment for B2B too, as businesses spend remaining budget and buy equipment, software and services before 30 June. Matariki is a moment for reflection, community and the new year in Aotearoa. Brands should take a thoughtful, respectful approach.
When to plan: by mid-April for EOFY. Book media and production early, as costs rise through June.
For tech founders: offer annual plans and prepaid deals before 30 June. Australian customers with budget left to spend often move faster in June than any other month.
July 2027
Key dates
- Thursday 1 July: new financial year (Australia). Tax time begins.
- School holidays: NSW winter holidays run Monday 5 July to Friday 16 July. NZ school holidays run Saturday 3 July to Sunday 18 July.
What to run: new financial year campaigns for business customers with fresh budgets. Tax-time offers for financial services, accounting and software brands. Winter school holiday campaigns for family brands.
When to plan: early June, before EOFY takes all your attention.
For tech founders: July is a strong month for new contracts in Australia. Budgets have reset, and decision-makers are planning the year ahead.
August 2027
Key dates
- Monday 2 August: Picnic Day (Northern Territory).
- Wednesday 11 August: Royal Queensland Show public holiday (Brisbane area only).
What to run: August is quiet for national dates, which makes it a good window for your own campaign. Think product launches, a benchmark report, an event or a webinar series that doesn't compete with anything else.
When to plan: late June.
For tech founders: use the quiet to own attention. A useful piece of research or a strong point of view can stand out when the calendar is clear.
September 2027
Key dates
- Sunday 5 September: Father's Day (Australia and NZ).
- Monday 27 September: King's Birthday (Western Australia).
- Monday 27 September: South Canterbury Anniversary (NZ).
- Late September: Friday before the AFL Grand Final (Victoria), date TBC.
- School holidays: NSW spring holidays run Monday 27 September to Friday 8 October. NZ school holidays run Saturday 25 September to Sunday 10 October.
What to run: Father's Day campaigns, starting two weeks before. Spring campaigns for retail, home and outdoor brands. Start warming your audience for Black Friday.
When to plan: early August for Father's Day. Start Black Friday planning in September.
For tech founders: September is the start of planning season for companies on a calendar year. Their 2028 budgets are being set now.
October 2027
Key dates
- Monday 4 October: Labour Day (NSW, ACT and South Australia) and King's Birthday (Queensland).
- Friday 22 October: Hawke's Bay Anniversary (NZ).
- Monday 25 October: Labour Day (NZ).
- Sunday 31 October: Halloween.
What to run: Halloween campaigns for consumer brands. Black Friday teasers, waitlists and early-access lists. Christmas gift guides should be ready to launch at the end of the month.
When to plan: by mid-September at the latest.
For tech founders: October and November are budget season for companies on a calendar year. Run campaigns that help them plan: benchmarks, templates and budget calculators.
November 2027
Key dates
- Monday 1 November: Marlborough Anniversary (NZ).
- Tuesday 2 November: Melbourne Cup (Victoria).
- Thursday 11 November: Singles' Day.
- Friday 12 November: Canterbury Anniversary, Christchurch Show Day (NZ).
- Friday 26 November: Black Friday.
- Monday 29 November: Cyber Monday. Westland Anniversary (NZ) is also observed that day.
- Click Frenzy: 2027 dates TBC.
What to run: Black Friday and Cyber Monday are now major retail moments in both countries. Plan your offer, landing pages, email sequence and ad creative well before the week. For subscription businesses, a Black Friday annual-plan discount can bring in a year of revenue upfront.
When to plan: start in September. Have creative signed off by mid-October and email sequences built by early November.
For tech founders: don't assume Black Friday is only for retail. Software and subscription brands increasingly run annual-plan offers. If you sell to businesses, avoid the Melbourne Cup and the Black Friday week for important launches, as inboxes are crowded.
December 2027
Key dates
- Christmas shipping cut-offs: 2027 dates TBC. Check Australia Post and NZ Post closer to the date.
- Friday 24 December: Christmas Eve, a part-day public holiday from the evening in some states and territories, including Queensland and the Northern Territory.
- Saturday 25 December: Christmas Day, with an additional holiday on Monday 27 December.
- Sunday 26 December: Boxing Day, with an additional holiday on Tuesday 28 December.
- Friday 31 December: New Year's Eve.
- School holidays: NSW summer holidays start Tuesday 21 December. NZ schools close no later than Friday 17 December.
What to run: Christmas campaigns early in the month, built around shipping cut-offs. Boxing Day sales. End-of-year thank-you emails to customers. A year-in-review or planning piece to start January strong.
When to plan: by October for Christmas and Boxing Day.
For tech founders: most B2B buying slows from mid-December. Close deals in the first two weeks, then use the quiet to prepare January campaigns.
State and regional differences
Public holidays in Australia are set by each state and territory, and some apply only to a capital city or region. In New Zealand, each region has its own anniversary day. School holidays also differ by state in Australia, and NZ schools have some flexibility on the start and end of the year.
Check these official sources before you lock in dates:
- Australian public holidays: Fair Work Ombudsman 2027 public holidays, with links to each state and territory.
- NZ public holidays and anniversary days: Employment New Zealand.
- NSW school holidays: NSW Department of Education 2027 term dates.
- Victorian school holidays: Victorian Government school term dates.
- Queensland school holidays: Queensland Department of Education term dates.
- Western Australian school holidays: WA Department of Education term dates.
- NZ school terms: Ministry of Education school terms and holidays.
How to turn this into a plan
- Pick four to six moments that matter most to your customers. For a B2B tech company, that might be January return, Australian EOFY, July new budgets, calendar-year budget season and a quiet-month launch in August.
- Work backwards six to twelve weeks for each, and put the planning dates in your calendar now.
- Set the budget. Our guide to how much a startup should spend on marketing shows how to size it.
- Build the system once. Landing page templates, email sequences and ad structures you can reuse for every moment. Our post on why startups need a marketing system explains why this matters more than any single campaign.
- Prove before you scale. Test each campaign's offer early with a small budget, then put more behind what works.
The bottom line
A good 2027 marketing calendar isn't a list of every holiday. It's a short list of the moments that matter to your customers, with planning dates set six to twelve weeks earlier. For Australia and New Zealand, the big ones are early Easter, the two different financial year ends, Matariki, school holidays, Black Friday and a Christmas period that runs into two extra public holidays. Lock in your moments now, and January won't be the first time you think about them.
Frequently asked questions
When is EOFY 2027 in Australia?
The Australian financial year ends on Wednesday 30 June 2027, and the new financial year starts on Thursday 1 July 2027. EOFY sales usually run through June, so start planning campaigns by mid-April.
When is the end of the financial year in New Zealand?
Most New Zealand businesses use a financial year that ends on 31 March, which falls on a Wednesday in 2027. The new financial year starts on Thursday 1 April 2027. Some businesses use a different balance date, so check with your accountant.
What are the public holidays in Australia in 2027?
National public holidays include New Year's Day (Friday 1 January), Australia Day (Tuesday 26 January), Good Friday (26 March), Easter Monday (29 March), Anzac Day (Sunday 25 April), Christmas Day (Saturday 25 December) and Boxing Day (Sunday 26 December), with additional days on 27 and 28 December. Many other holidays vary by state, so check the Fair Work Ombudsman.
When is Matariki 2027?
Matariki is a public holiday in New Zealand on Friday 25 June 2027, according to Employment New Zealand. It marks the Māori New Year, so brands should approach it with care and respect.
When is Black Friday 2027?
Black Friday is Friday 26 November 2027, the day after US Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday is Monday 29 November 2027. In Australia and New Zealand, many retailers now run offers across the whole week, so plan your campaign from September.
When should I start planning my 2027 marketing calendar?
Now. Most campaigns need six to eight weeks of lead time, and big moments like EOFY, Black Friday and Christmas need ten to twelve. Pick the four to six moments that matter most to your customers and set your planning dates for each.
Want your 2027 calendar built into a plan? Corient works as a full marketing department for founder-led brands: a CMO, design, copy, paid ads, email and automation, and web and tech. We'll pick the moments that matter to your customers, build reusable campaigns for each and prove what works before we scale it. Start your free trial and your first month is on us.
