Dust off the barbecue and clean off your jandals - this weekend's Labour Day holiday traditionally marks the beginning of the warmer months and gateway to summer.
It's also our last three-day weekend before the Christmas holidays.
Labour Day is a public holiday that falls on the fourth Monday in October and commemorates the eight-hour working day.
Unlike Christmas, Easter and Anzac Day, shops do not have to close, but labour laws state people who work must be compensated.
This year, Labour Day Monday will also mark the official start of early voting for this year's election. However, only some polling places will actually be open on the holiday.
Large chain stores generally open on Labour Day in New Zealand, with many opting to hold Labour Weekend sales.
Supermarkets generally also open, although their hours may change, so it's worth checking with the individual store whether this is the case.
Restaurants and cafes often open on Labour Day, but some will require you to pay a surcharge.
Keep in mind that many restaurants often close on Monday anyway, whether it's Labour Day or not. It's definitely worth either phoning or checking social media to see whether the place you plan on visiting is open.
All government departments, such as Inland Revenue and Work and Income, close on Labour Day.
Work and Income says that will mean anyone usually paid on Tuesday, October 27, will be paid on Saturday, October 24.
Will I pay a surcharge?
Employees are paid time and a-half and are entitled to a paid day off, if a public holiday falls on a normal working day for them.
To recoup this increased cost, businesses such as restaurants, bars and cafes are able to charge customers a surcharge.
The typical surcharge is 15% , the Restaurant Association has said.
However, Consumer NZ says a business can charge any amount as a surcharge, as long as it informs customers of the surcharge and explains why it has been applied.
This can be done with the display of signs detailing the surcharge, a message on the business's website, or by verbally letting the customer know at the time of purchase or before they order.
If customers believe they have been misled about a surcharge, they can complain to the Commerce Commission.
Why do we have Labour Day, anyway?
Labour Day is commemorated in many countries.
It celebrates the idea of an eight-hour working day and, in New Zealand, it was championed by Wellington carpenter Samuel Parnell.
In 1840, Parnell refused to work for more than eight hours each day.
His quote to a potential client soon entered New Zealand history:
"There are 24 hours per day given us; eight of these should be for work, eight for sleep, and the remaining eight for recreation and in which for men to do what little things they want for themselves. I am ready to start to-morrow morning at eight o'clock, but it must be on these terms or none at all."
On October 28, 1890, he led a Labour Day parade of 1500 people to commemorate his establishment of the eight-hour working day and to encourage other industries to do the same.
According to Parliament's website, there were evolving attempts to enforce an eight-hour working day - the Employment of Females Act of 1873 made it illegal to employ women for more than eight hours a day, while other legislation soon extended that to children and youth.
Believe it or not, today the eight-hour working day isn't actually set in law, but it's implicit in the Minimum Wage Act 1983, which puts forth a maximum 40-hour, five-day work week as the norm for employment agreements.
The Labour Day Act 1899 established the public holiday, now observed on the fourth Monday in October.
