Forum Discussion
King's birthday...
Which version of Outlook are you using and which account type are you using?
The holiday definitions for New Zealand contains definitions for King's Day;
King's Birthday,2024/6/3
King's Birthday,2025/6/2
King's Birthday,2026/6/1If you have imported them in Classic Outlook when it was still the Queen's Birthday, you will need to update them manually. For instructions see; Holiday updates for the Outlook Calendar - Robert 365
If you are using an Outlook.com or Exchange Online account, you can subscribe to the holiday calendar of New Zealand, so it gets updated automatically. See; Add Holidays to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online or Outlook.com mailbox - Robert 365
Hi
I'm using a vanilla Windows 11 testbed (VM), with latest Outlook (but "classic" does the same).
I asked AI (CoPilot) and got this response :) ...
(PS: I will try the subscription method)
**Short answer:**
You can’t fix it yourself — Microsoft’s *New Zealand Holiday Calendar* is wrong, and Microsoft has already acknowledged the bug. The only reliable workaround is to **remove the old holiday calendar and re‑add the updated one**, or switch to the **Outlook-on-the-web NZ Holidays subscription**, which updates automatically.
Below is the clean, actionable path for you (Christchurch, NZ) with citations.
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## ✅ What’s actually happening
Microsoft’s NZ holiday feed continued to label the June public holiday as **“Queen’s Birthday”** even after NZ officially changed it to **King’s Birthday**.
Microsoft confirmed this is a **known issue** and that the incorrect label appears in the NZ Public Holiday Calendar.
They have said the fix will come via future updates — but they did **not** give a timeline.
---
## ✅ How to fix it now (your only reliable options)
### **Option 1 — Remove the old holiday set and re‑add NZ holidays (Classic Outlook)**
This forces Outlook to pull the newest holiday definitions available.
- **Open Outlook (classic)**
- Go to **View → Change View → List**
- In the ribbon, choose **Arrangement → Categories**
- Scroll to the **Holidays** category
- Select all NZ holidays → **Delete**
- Now re‑add them:
- **File → Options → Calendar → Add Holidays**
- Tick **New Zealand** → **OK**
This is the official Microsoft method for refreshing outdated holiday data.
---
### **Option 2 — Use Outlook on the Web’s NZ Holiday subscription (recommended)**
Outlook on the web uses a *subscription* calendar that **auto‑updates** when Microsoft fixes holiday names.
- Go to **[https://outlook.office.com/calendar](https://outlook.office.com/calendar)**
- In the left pane, select **Add Calendar**
- Choose **Holidays**
- Select **New Zealand**
- Remove the old “Holidays in New Zealand” calendar if it exists
Microsoft explicitly states that the web‑based holiday subscription receives automatic updates when holidays change.
---
### **Option 3 — Wait for Microsoft’s fix**
Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and said it will be escalated to the product team.
Until they update the NZ holiday feed, the incorrect label may persist.
---
## 🧭 Which option should *you* use?
Given your setup (Microsoft 365, Christchurch, and you prefer clean, system‑level fixes):
| Option | Reliability | Effort | Notes |
|-------|-------------|--------|-------|
| **Outlook on the Web holiday subscription** | ★★★★★ | Low | Auto‑updates; best long‑term fix |
| **Delete + re‑add holidays in Classic Outlook** | ★★★★☆ | Medium | Works now but may not auto‑correct future changes |
| **Wait for Microsoft** | ★★☆☆☆ | None | Could take months |
**Recommendation:**
Switch to the **web subscription calendar** and delete the old imported one.
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## Want me to walk you through the exact steps for *your* version of Outlook (new Outlook vs classic vs web)?