Parental leave
Employees may be eligible for paid and unpaid parental leave if they meet certain criteria. The paid leave is funded by Government, not employers.
Employees may be entitled to parental leave if they have worked for the same employer for an average of at least 10 hours per week, and at least one hour in every week or 40 hours in every month, for either the six or 12 months before the expected due date of their baby or the date they assume care of a child they intend adopting.
Employees who meet the six-month employment eligibility criteria are entitled to 14 weeks’ paid parental leave - some or all of which can be transferred to a spouse/partner if they also meet the six month criteria.
Employees who meet the 12-month eligibility criteria, are also entitled to up to 52 weeks’ unpaid extended leave (less any parental leave taken). This can be shared with a spouse/partner if they also meet the 12-month eligibility criteria.
A spouse/partner with six months’ service may be entitled to an additional one weeks’ unpaid paternity/partner’s leave, and a spouse/partner with 12 months’ service may be entitled to two weeks’ unpaid paternity/partner’s leave. To be eligible, the spouse/partner must meet the minimum hours test above.
Up to 10 days’ unpaid special leave for pregnancy-related reasons is available for a pregnant mother before parental leave begins.
For help understanding entitlement to parental leave, or what to do with an application from an employee, see the Department’s website. The Parental Leave Calculator www.dol.govt.nz/paidparental can calculate entitlements.
