There are so many days of observance worldwide (and in New Zealand) that internal communicators can leverage to share content to their workforce, get more involvement from teams, or simply to build awareness. We've built this list to help you actively plan and prepare for fun days to celebrate in the office. These social media "holidays" and days of observances are fun ways to connect with your workforce.
Why do you need a content calendar?
A content calendar keeps everyone on the internal communications team on the same page and on schedule. There are other benefits of using a content calendar, such as:
- Developing consistent high-value top-down messages
- Foresight into what campaigns and events are coming in the future
- Streamline workflow by preparing deadlines in advance, engaging with collaborators early, and not leaving approvals to the last minute
- Creating one point of reference among your team, the leadership team, and other departments you work with
How to include social media holidays in your internal comms content calendar
Assuming you have already set up an internal comms content calendar, you can now refer the social media holiday list above to see which of your campaigns can tie into the dates (and times). For example, if you have a men's health and wellbeing campaigned planned, that could coincide with Men's Health Week starting on 12 June.
How long will it take to add social media holidays to your internal communications?
It depends! If your content management system can allow you to efficiently whip up content, it won't take too long. Vibe makes it so much easier to add social media holidays to internal communication channel plan with a pre-built Celebrations slide. It's an easy set-and-forget solution for busy internal communicators. All celebrations are pre-programmed and will appear around the actual date. It can include content like a social media mashup for Matariki, a list of events for ANZAC Day, funny jokes on St Patrick's Day or heartfelt quotes for Mothers Day; and if there's nothing scheduled, the slide will auto-hide.
New Zealand Social Media Holiday Calendar 2023
Our list is by no means exhaustive but it is a great starting point for internal communication specialists and employee engagement teams who want to know what important dates lie ahead so they can plan their campaign in a way that will be fun and engaging for the workforce.
- January 2023 Social Media Holidays
- February 2023 Social Media Holidays
- March 2023 Social Media Holidays
- April 2023 Social Media Holidays
- May 2023 Social Media Holidays
- June 2023 Social Media Holidays
- July 2023 Social Media Holidays
- August 2023 Social Media Holidays
- September 2023 Social Media Holidays
- October 2023 Social Media Holidays
- November 2023 Social Media Holidays
- December 2023 Social Media Holidays
January 2023 Social Media Holidays
- 1 January: New Year’s Day
- 4 January: World Braille Day
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22 January: Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is a major celebration in many parts of Asia. Though it isn’t a public holiday in New Zealand, it’s still celebrated by the growing Chinese and Asian population. - 28 January: World Lego Day
February 2023 Social Media Holidays
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Heart Health Awareness Month
Heart disease remains New Zealand’s single biggest killer. The Heart Foundation aims to bring awareness and education, as well as a fundraiser on 24-25 Feb 2023. -
Aotearoa Bike Challenge Month
This month-long biking challenge encourages individuals, groups and workplaces compete nationally to earn the most points by riding and encouraging others to do the same. - 2 February: World Wetlands Day
- 4 February: World Cancer Day
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6 February: Waitangi Day (Rā o Waitangi)
Waitangi Day is recognised as New Zealand’s national day. Every year on this date, people of all communities and backgrounds gather at Waitangi to commemorate the first signing of New Zealand’s founding document: Te Tiriti o Waitangi, The Treaty of Waitangi, on 6 February 1840. - 11 February: International Day of Women and Girls in Science
- 14 February: Valentine’s Day
- 20 February: World Day of Social Justice
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22 February: Te Matatini - Kapa Haka Aotearoa Festival
Te Matatini is a nation-wide Māori performing arts festival and competition for kapa haka performers from all of New Zealand. Te Matatini is seen as playing a very important role within Maoridom in promoting the tikanga of the Māori culture and Kapa Haka. It provides a valuable experience for the people of New Zealand and others from all around the world, with the festival attracting up to 30,000 participants and spectators. - 24 February: Loud Shirt Day
March 2023 Social Media Holidays
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4 March: New Zealand Seaweek
Seaweek is about discovering the many ways New Zealanders' lives are connected to the sea. Throughout the week, there are community beach clean-ups, kayaking and snorkelling experiences, and more educational activities. - 8 March: International Women’s Day
- 17 March: World Sleep Day and St Patrick's day
- 20 March: World Oral Health Day
- 22 March: World Water Day
April 2023 Social Media Holidays
- 2 April: Daylight Savings ends
- 7 April: Good Friday
- 9 April: Easter Sunday
- 10 April: Easter Monday
- 22 April: Earth Day
- 25 April: ANZAC Day
- 28 April: World Day of Health and Safety at work
May 2023 Social Media Holidays
- 2 May: World Asthma Day
- 4 May: World Password Day
- 8 May: New Zealand Sign Language week
- 12 May: International Nurses day
- 14 May: Mother’s Day
- 19 May: Pink Shirt Day
- 30 May: Samoan Language Week
June 2023 Social Media Holidays
- 5 June: King’s Birthday
- 12 June: Men’s Health Week
- 14 June: World Blood Donor Day
- 19 June: National Volunteer Week (Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu)
- 30 June: World Social Media Day
Automatically share social celebrations for the workplace
Set-and-forget celebrations throughout the year. The Celebrations slide may show a Social Media mashup for Matariki, a list of events for ANZAC Day, jokes to chuckle at for St. Patrick's Day or heart-felt quotes for Mother's Day.
All celebrations are pre-programmed and will appear around the actual date.
July 2023 Social Media Holidays
- 1 July: International Joke Day
- 7 July: World Chocolate Day
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14 July: Matariki
Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. It rises in midwinter and for many Māori, it heralds the start of a new year.
August 2023 Social Media Holidays
- 8 August: International Cat Day
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25 August: Daffodil Day
Daffodil Day is an annual campaign by Cancer Council in order to help raise money for cancer research and more. During this event, people organise fundraisers, donate money, and wear a yellow daffodil.
September 2023 Social Media Holidays
- 3 September: Father's Day
- 10 September: World Suicide Prevention Day
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11 September: Te Wiki O Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week)
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is a government-sponsored initiative intended to encourage New Zealanders to promote the use of the Māori language, one of the official languages of New Zealand. - 18 September: Mental Health Awareness Week
- 21 September: International Day of Peace
- 24 September: Daylight Saving starts
- 25 September: New Zealand Chinese Language Week
October 2023 Social Media Holidays
- 1 October: International Coffee Day
- 10 October: World Mental Health Day
- 15 October: World Hand Washing Day
- 23 October: Labour Day
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27 October: New Zealand ShakeOut
On this day, New Zealand businesses and individuals practice what to do in the event of an earthquake and tsunami. This is a great opportunity to share evacuation routes and emergency plans with your workforce, and test your emergency alerts on your workplace digital signage screens and workplace apps.
Here's an example of how we've aligned our social media post to World Mental Health Day in 2022.
November 2023 Social Media Holidays
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3 November: Gumboot Friday
Gumboot Friday is an initiative by the Key to Life Charitable Trust. This day shows supports young people who are struggling with their mental health by encouraging people to put gumboots on, donate a gold coin, or host a fundraiser. - 5 November: Guy Fawkes Day
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12 November: Diwali
Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, and is usually celebrated with a big festival in Auckland. - 14 November: World Diabetes Day
December 2023 Social Media Holidays
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2 December: National Jandal Day
National Jandal Day is an annual fundraising event held by Surf Life Saving New Zealand - 24 December: Christmas Eve
- 25 December: Christmas
- 26 December: Boxing Day
- 31 December: New Year's Eve
