The State of Parental Leave in New Zealand – 2023
For the first time, data is available to employers across New Zealand on how organisations are supporting new parents:
Benefits available before, during and after parental leave
Trends in the terms and conditions employers apply
Plus: emerging practices, gaps, and opportunities
Key findings
What’s happened in 2023
Enhanced parental leave now spans diverse industries and company sizes.
The New Zealand Parental Leave Register showcases policies from 28 industries, with participating organizations ranging from 4 to 4,000+ employees.
Employer-paid parental leave ranges from 1 to 26 weeks.
The average number of paid weeks offered:
Partners: 4 weeks
Primary carers: 21 week top-up or 11 weeks of paid leave
One in four employers offer primary and secondary carers the same paid leave benefits.
The average number of paid weeks offered under these equal paid parental leave policies is 9 weeks.
The next frontier
2023 showed policies and practices look beyond paid leave.
Organisations are actively including employees on parental leave.
From encouraging keeping-in-touch hours to ensuring participation in remuneration reviews, employers are demonstrating that parental leave doesn't mean "out of sight, out of mind."
Some employers offer parental leave benefits from day one.
While many organisations still require qualifying periods and impose bonding terms, progressive employers are eliminating these waiting periods.
60% of employers pay annual leave at full value upon employees’ return to work.
Organisations have preemptively adopted this practice before anticipated legislation, ensuring new parents can take annual leave without financial penalty.
What you can do next
Start building a better leave experience for your people and your business
Benchmark your policy
Use The New Zealand Parental Leave Register to see what your peers offer.
Estimate your costs
Try our Parental Leave Costing Tool to model different benefit options.
Talk to us
Book a free policy review to identify quick wins and long-term improvements.
Not sure where to start?
We’ve got you. Explore our free resources to help you design a right-sized parental leave policy and support your people through every step of the journey.