Christmas-New Year opening hours and services
Published on 17 December 2025
Our Customer Service Centre is closed from 12pm Wednesday 24 December until Monday 5 January. But lots of our awesome team are working right through to keep the city ticking.
We've put together this handy list so you can check when you need to put your rubbish and recycling out over the holidays and find out about opening hours at libraries and other Council facilities. And don't forget, our contact centre never sleeps! Day or night, if you have a question:
We're here to help.
Here's a shoutout to everyone who works through the holidays to keep our city running. Thank you!
Kerbside rubbish and recycling collections
This year, Christmas Day is a Thursday. Our team will be home with their families so there’s no collection that day. Instead we'll pick it up the following Saturday, 27 December.
Please remember to have your bags, bins and crates on the kerbside on your allocated day by 7.30am.
Not sure whether to put out your wheelie bin or your glass crate? Use our simple online tool to find out.
Check your rubbish and recycling day
And don't forget, if you're going away or can't wait until your collection day, you can always drop off Council rubbish bags at the EnviroNZ transfer station in Matthews Ave free of charge.
Drop off your Christmas tree for free this holiday season
We no longer do kerbside Christmas tree pickups. This means we can better manage the holiday rush – especially for recycling, which skyrockets in December and January. Glass, we’re looking at you!
The good news? You can still drop your real Christmas tree off at the Awapuni Resource Recovery Park for free from Boxing Day through to the end of January. By dropping off your tree, you’re helping us turn it into compost for our parks and reserves. It’s a great way to end the festive season sustainably – turning your tree into something that gives back to the community.
Got broken Christmas lights? We can recycle these too! Drop them off at our Ferguson Street Recycling Centre, free of charge.
Recycling facilities (mostly) open
All our recycling facilities are closed on Christmas Day. They'll be open public holiday hours on Boxing Day, New Year's Day, and 2 January. Other than that, they'll open as usual.
For all opening hours at individual facilities, including Ashhurst Transfer Station, see our facilities page.
Rubbish and recycling facilities
Palmerston North City Library
Our incredible library team are taking a break in-between the Christmas and New Year public holidays this year, so make sure you stock up on your loans before they shut down!
We won't leave you stranded though. You can always access great books and movies from Libby, BorrowBox, Kanopy and Beamafilm, even if the library is closed.
Youth Space's last day open for the year is Friday 19 December.
Ashhurst, Awapuni, Central and Roslyn Libraries and Te Pātikitiki are all open until midday on Wednesday 24 December before closing for the holiday.
Central Library reopens on Saturday 3 January and the others on Monday 5 January. For individual opening hours, please see the City Library website.
Palmerston North City Library holiday hours
Visit our friendly isite team to plan your perfect holiday, journey or adventure
Our visitor centre in Te Marae o Hine The Square is open every day except the public holidays.
- Sunday to Friday: 9am to 5pm
- Saturday: 9am to 2pm
Visit the team for comprehensive, impartial information and booking services for accommodation, activities, attractions and travel.
Central Energy Trust Wildbase Recovery open summer hours
When was the last time you visited our very special centre that provides a safe haven for native animals? The summer holidays are the perfect time to stop by. The centre is open from 10am to 4pm every day except statutory public holidays, and entry is free.
Plan your visit
Roadworks shutdown period
To help keep traffic moving over the festive season, most roadworks will pause during our annual Christmas shutdown. This applies to all non-emergency work, including road and footpath repairs, renewals, and upgrades to water or other underground services carried out by us and other agencies.
Normal construction activity will resume from 8am Monday 5 January.
Animal management
Call us for any dog or animal queries or complaints over the summer break. Phone: 06 356 8199
This includes if your dog goes walkabout. Call us to see if we've picked it up. If your dog is microchipped and registered and your contact details are up to date, we'll be able to reunite you quickly. If we can't, your dog may be taken to the pound.
If your dog is in the pound and you want to pick them up, please phone the number above to arrange a time with one of our animal control officers. Please note, an extra fee applies for releases on public holidays and weekends.
Dog adoptions are on hold over the break and will start back up again from Monday 5 January, should we have any dogs suitable for rehoming.
Building and planning services
Final building inspections for 2025 will take place at 12pm on Tuesday 23 December. Emergency inspections will be available from 29 to 31 December and 5 to 9 January. These appointments will be very limited and should be requested only when genuinely urgent. To book, phone 06 356 8199
Standard inspections resume from Monday 12 January.
You can still apply for a building consent, resource consent or LIM over Christmas-New Year. However, please note that the Building Act and Resource Management Act statutory clocks stop from 20 December to 10 January. We will resume processing on Monday 12 January.
We will process property information requests other than LIMs until 12pm on Wednesday 24 December, and resume again on Monday 5 January.
Parking
Our parking wardens won’t be available on Sundays or public holidays (Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and 2 January). Apart from that, they’ll be about and about on our streets to help you with all your parking needs.
If you ever need their assistance, please phone us: 06 356 8199
Caccia Birch House
The beautiful grounds at Caccia Birch remain open throughout the holidays for walkers, dogs on leash and everyone else to enjoy. It's a great spot for a picnic! Though please note there will be no access to public toilets while the historic house itself is closed.
Caccia Birch House will be closed from Saturday 20 December and reopens on Monday 12 January.