Chapter 1
Hybrid Working
New Zealand Office Occupier Sentiment Survey 2026
Hybrid Working in New Zealand: Attendance Rises as Organisations Refine Workplace Expectations
Average office attendance increased to 3.6 days per week in 2026, the highest level recorded in our New Zealand Office Occupier Sentiment Surveys. The findings suggest hybrid working is becoming more established across New Zealand organisations, with attendance levels moving closer to leadership expectations and employers increasingly adopting structured attendance policies. While three days in the office remains the most common working pattern, organisations are placing greater emphasis on accountability and consistency as workplace strategies continue to evolve
Office Attendance Reaches a Four-Year High
Office attendance leaps, closing the gap to organisational leadership expectations
Office attendance posted its largest increase in three years, with the average number of days worked in the office rising to 3.6 per week in 2026, compared with 3.4 in 2025 and 3.3 in 2024. The upward lift is not a return-to-office snapback. It reflects a market where hybrid is now the settled norm, and leaders are tuning the dial. Attendance is closer than at any point in the last four years to where leadership wants it to be.
Three days in the office is still the most common pattern of working (49%), but the number of people reporting attending the office for five days has increased. Four-day attendance has fallen, showing a clear split emerging in hybrid working patterns: the majority of workers continue with the three-day routine, while a higher number of them have returned to the traditional full-time presence in the office.
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