<P> The New Zealand school year runs from the beginning of February to mid-December, and since 1996, has been divided into four terms . By law, all state and state - integrated schools are required to be open for instruction for 380 half - days in a year (390 half - days for schools with only Year 8 students or below), meaning that the start and end of the school year is not nationally fixed to a particular date, as schools take different teacher - only days and provincial anniversary days off during the year . Schools can be exempted from opening the required number of half - days in some cases, such as in Christchurch in 2011 when many schools closed for up to a month after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake . The breaks between terms have fixed start and end dates, and the break length is fixed at two weeks . </P> <P> In general, terms run as follows if Easter falls in early - to - mid-April: </P> <Ul> <Li> Term 1: Begins no earlier than Auckland Anniversary Day (Monday closest to 29 January) and no later than 7 February; ends Maundy Thursday (day before Good Friday) </Li> <Li> Term 2: Begins second Monday following Easter Monday; ends beginning of July </Li> <Li> Term 3: Begins mid-July; ends mid-to - late September </Li> <Li> Term 4: Begins early - to - mid October; ends no later than 20 December </Li> </Ul> <Li> Term 1: Begins no earlier than Auckland Anniversary Day (Monday closest to 29 January) and no later than 7 February; ends Maundy Thursday (day before Good Friday) </Li>

How long is a term in university in canada