After a dismal holiday season United Future Leader Peter Dunne is petitioning to move the official summer break period to line up with sunnier weather.

Mr Dunne's online petition aimed to gauge interest in whether people would prefer to take their holidays later.

He said weather doesn't settle down until February, so it makes sense to take them when it's hot - and work through the late December weather bombs.

Mr Dunne said the petition has quite strong support already.

"It's got several hundred signatures in its first couple hours and I think that will intensify," he said.

"I'm hearing a lot of comment from people that this is a really good idea," Mr Dunne said. 

Prime Minister Bill English had sympathy, but no explicit support, for Mr Dunne's notion.  

Mr English said it was a shame people were not able to soak up the warmth on the summer break but said shifting the break period is too big of a change.

The petition has close to 1,000 signatures so far.