With the Black Friday sales in New Zealand now firmly in the rear-view mirror, all eyes are on the final major sales event of the year: Boxing Day. Fortunately, we don't have long to wait, as Boxing Day arrives in just 10 days (honestly, where has this year gone?!).
With that being said, we wouldn't be surprised if Boxing Day sales in New Zealand start popping up before the all-important date – at least, that's been our experience in previous years. In 2024, Amazon AU kicked off its Boxing Day sale on December 22, for example.
Boxing Day sales in New Zealand: our predictions
The Boxing Day sales are a good opportunity for retailers to clear out older stock, which means it’s a fantastic time for shoppers to find a bargain. While we might not see discounts on the latest models, December 26 – and the deals leading up to it – is still likely to bring savings on items that appear in our best-of guides.
TV deals
Looking to start the new year with an upgraded entertainment system? If you’ve been holding out for a deal on a new TV, the Boxing Day and January sales are a great chance to save on one. PB Tech and Samsung are two key retailers to watch out for, as not only do they provide massive savings, they both offer the opportunity to match or beat the prices set by eligible competitors. And, while Amazon AU doesn't usually provide TVs, you could find one of the best soundbars on sale there if you’re after one of those instead.
Typically, Boxing Day TV deals are the best on the latest releases from the year prior, so you can generally find big discounts on OLED and QLED. But if you’re not keen on spending the big bucks, the discounts tend to trickle down to older and more budget-friendly models, too – meaning there’s likely to a TV deal for any need or budget.
Don’t worry gamers – you’re likely to be well catered to as well. Whether you own a PS5 or an Xbox Series X, you’re likely going to find a deal for a TV to game on. If trends follow previous years, we'll definitely see our favourite TV, the LG C5 OLED, on sale.
Computing and laptop deals
Black Friday is typically thought of as the best time of year to pick up a discounted laptop or PC, but Boxing Day is a close contender, alongside EOFY sales.
Leading retailers will absolutely be looking to compete on everything from basic Chromebooks to lavish gaming laptops – and not just to shift old stock either. We expect manufacturers such as Samsung, HP, Lenovo and Dell to offer competitive deals on their websites, while Amazon Australia and PB Tech are top retailers to watch for discounts on Apple devices.
Headphones, phones and tablets
Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2025 offered up a stack of headphones. We saw heavy savings on everything from the best wireless earbuds to the best noise-cancelling headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Gen 2). Consistent best sellers, we think it's likely we see a heap of Boxing Day headphones deals, too.
There were a ton of top deals on tablets during Black Friday – all of Amazon's current Kindles were heavily discounts, iPads saw big price-cuts and Samsung's latest slates were way down in November. For students going back to school, workers looking to up their productivity or anyone looking for a big display to play and watch on, Boxing Day tablet deals should be at the top of your watch list.
As for smartphones, we’re not likely going to see iPhones get huge discounts, especially the iPhone 17 family, but we could see some Android handsets coming down in price. Watch out for Google Pixels, both the most recent and older models, as well as handsets from Samsung and Motorola.
Health and fitness
New year, new resolutions – and if your health and fitness are the main concern in the new year, Boxing Day and January sales could be a good chance to nab some tech to support these goals. It's not news to retailers that people are looking to make positive changes come January, so there's always an abundance of deals on smartwatches and fitness trackers to help make that health and fitness journey easier.
We've seen plenty of offers on Garmin outdoor watches this year, but other smartwatch discounts have been lacking. That said, we did see some slight savings on the new Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch SE 3 during Black Friday – and some tasty discounts on Samsung's Galaxy Watch 8 and 8 Classic.
If you're looking for something a bit more budget-friendly, you'll have to opt for a more simple-looking fitness tracker as opposed to a true smartwatch. We're talking about the Fitbit Charge 6 that we said "leaves a little to be desired" in our review. We've seen it as low as NZ$207.
Key retailers in New Zealand for Black Friday 2025
- Amazon | tech and electronics, books, clothes, games, subscriptions and more
- Andoo | kitchen appliances, small appliances, TVs, Audio and heating
- Apple | iPhones, iPads, Macbooks, Apple TV 4K, AirPods and more
- Bose | premium audio – headphones, earbuds, soundbars and more
- Dell NZ | big savings on gaming and business laptops, PCs and monitors
- HP | laptops, desktops, monitors, printers and more
- Lenovo NZ | Motorola Razr and Edge smartphones, laptops, 2-in-1's, and PCs
- Mighty Ape | toys, electronics, furniture, books, gaming and more
- MobileStation | all your tech needs, including refurbished phones
- Noel Leeming | all your tech and appliance needs
- PB Tech | phones, computers, laptops, headphones, PC parts and more
- Razer | all things gaming and PC peripherals
- Samsung NZ | Galaxy phones, smartwatches and tablets + appliances and TVs
- Secretlab NZ | ergonomic gaming and office chairs for long-lasting comfort
Boxing Day sales in New Zealand: FAQs
When do Boxing Day sales start?
Like Christmas on the 25th of December, Boxing Day always lands on December 26. However, the start date of Boxing Day sales aren't quite as consistent. In the last few years, retailers have launched their Boxing Day deals a few days before Christmas – and then simply ran them through to New Years Eve. We'd expect to see proper Boxing Day deals by December 22 or 23 at the latest.
That said, considering where Boxing Day sits on the calendar, you're going to be able to enjoy discounts well in advance of that thanks to Christmas sales. While Boxing Day deals will likely offer the biggest savings, these early deals could be worth buying depending on how soon you need the item. We wouldn't recommend turning up gift-less on Christmas Day in the hopes of saving an extra AU$20 on headphones, though.
How long do Boxing Day sales last?
This question is a weird one to answer when it comes to Boxing Day. There's no real 'early Boxing Day sales'. We expect things to start around December 20, but the majority of deals will be titled as Christmas discounts.
And, even if you're working off Boxing Day sales starting on December 26, how long they last is still retailer-specific. We've seen some stores run them for just 24 hours before beginning New Years sales, while others will run Boxing Day discounts for a week, morphing into early January sales from December 27.
Do note that the deals available in early January will likely differ from the true Boxing Day sales we see. We expect December 26 to offer the best prices.
Why is it called Boxing Day?
The exact origin of Boxing Day is disputed, but it’s generally accepted to have begun from a British tradition of charitable giving on the day after Christmas, December 26. The Oxford English Dictionary dates its first usage to the mid 1700s, and around this time, Boxing Day was marked by the gifting of Christmas boxes to service people from their wealthy employers.
These days, Boxing Day is a very different affair that’s closely associated with sport, shopping and eating leftovers from Christmas lunch. In New Zealand and some Commonwealth countries, Boxing Day sales are the last major shopping event of the year, as retailers look to shift older stock to make way for newer models. In recent years however, the American shopping import of Black Friday sales has become bigger than Boxing Day.
What countries celebrate Boxing Day?
Originating in the United Kingdom, Boxing Day is a holiday that is specific to countries that are members of the Commonwealth. However, not every country celebrates the same. For example, in Australia, Boxing Day is a public holiday – as it is in New Zealand – in all states except South Australia, where Proclamation Day is celebrated on the first weekday after Christmas Day or the Christmas Day holiday instead.
The countries that celebrate Boxing Day are as follows:
Australia, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Fiji, Germany, Greenland, Hong Kong Hungary, Ireland, Jamaica, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Singapore South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and United Kingdom.
Is Boxing Day a good day for sales?
Yes! While it's unfortunate that it lands after Christmas – and, thus, after you're likely to be doing the majority of your shopping – Boxing Day is perhaps the number two best time to shop behind with Black Friday.
While we can't predict how good this years Boxing Day offering will be, we were very impressed with the Black Friday deals we saw, and expect Boxing Day to be similar, if not better.
Is it cheaper to buy on Boxing Day?
If it wasn't cheaper to shop on Boxing Day, then it wouldn't make a very good sales day, would it? Jokes aside, along with Black Friday, the days leading up until Christmas and EOFY sales, Boxing Day is one of the best times to snag big discounts on big-ticket items like TVs, coffee machines, phones and laptops.
Is Boxing Day bigger than Black Friday?
Black Friday is certainly the bigger sales event worldwide, as it's lead by the USA, but up until recent times Boxing Day has been the #1 sales event in Australia and New Zealand. 2023 might have been the turning point for that battle, though.
Obviously, the facts and figures are going to be hard to pinpoint, if they're available at all. However, Retail Doctor CEO Brian Walker said before 2023's Black Friday sale that the upcoming sale would be bigger than Boxing Day, as many use it as the starting-off point for their Christmas shopping. Whether one is actually bigger than the other, we don't know. However, if you count the Christmas deals that will be available for weeks leading up to the big day, then even with Black Friday sales lasting 14 days this year, Boxing Day has it beat.
What is the best thing to buy on Boxing Day?
Like Black Friday, Boxing Day is a great time to get those big-ticket items and tech that are usually too expensive to buy at full price. An added benefit is that, usually, big tech products like that aren't going to be bought for Christmas. Not many people are getting a 75-inch OLED from Santa. So that means you get to enjoy the sales on things like TVs, game consoles, tablets, laptops and monitors, without hampering your Christmas shopping – or giving someone a Christmas gift on Boxing Day.
The 10 best New Zealand Boxing Day deals from 2024
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