Parental leave in New Zealand: how long you can take, who qualifies and how it differs from the payment
Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.
Parental leave in New Zealand is job-protected time off under the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987, separate from the weekly payment Inland Revenue makes. Employees with 12 months or more of service can take up to 52 weeks; those with 6 to 12 months get up to 26 weeks (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). It is not the same as paid parental leave.
How long is parental leave in New Zealand?
The length depends entirely on how long you have worked for your employer before your baby's due date, or the date you become primary carer. With 12 months or more of service you are entitled to up to 52 weeks of parental leave; with 6 to 12 months you are entitled to up to 26 weeks (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). Under 6 months' service, there is no statutory entitlement at all, though an employer can agree to unpaid leave anyway.
Parental leave under the 1987 Act runs up to 26 or 52 weeks depending on service length, and the table below sets out the four leave types that make up that time.
| Leave type | Who can take it | Length | Paid or unpaid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary carer leave | The employee who is primary carer of a child under 6 | Up to 26 weeks | Unpaid by the employer; Inland Revenue's paid parental leave covers up to 26 weeks of it if eligible |
| Extended leave | The primary carer, after primary carer leave ends, if they have 12+ months' service | Up to 26 further weeks (up to 52 weeks total) | Unpaid |
| Partner's leave | The spouse or partner of the primary carer | Up to 1 week (6-12 months' service) or 2 weeks (12+ months' service) | Unpaid |
| Negotiated carer leave | An employee who does not qualify for primary carer leave | Whatever is agreed with the employer | As agreed |
(Employment New Zealand: Types of parental leave, retrieved 9 September 2026.)
How long is parental leave in New Zealand?
Up to 52 weeks for an employee with 12 months or more of service with the same employer (26 weeks' primary carer leave plus up to 26 weeks' extended leave), or up to 26 weeks for an employee with 6 to 12 months' service (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). Only the first 26 weeks can be paid, and only if you separately qualify for Inland Revenue's paid parental leave.
Do fathers get paid paternity leave in NZ?
Not as "paternity leave" specifically. A father or non-birth partner can take up to 1 or 2 weeks' unpaid partner's leave, or the couple can transfer some or all of the primary carer's paid parental leave entitlement to them if they meet the eligibility test themselves (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). New Zealand has no separate paid paternity leave scheme.
What is the shortest maternity leave?
There is no minimum length you must take, but the practical floor is set by the six-month service test: an employee with under 6 months' service with their employer has no statutory entitlement to parental leave at all, only whatever leave their employer agrees to informally (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). Someone who does qualify can return to work at any point they choose, with the correct notice given.
Can both parents take parental leave at the same time?
Partner's leave (up to 1 or 2 weeks) can be taken while the primary carer is also on leave, so a short overlap at the start is normal. Beyond that, the Act structures primary carer leave and extended leave around one primary carer at a time, though the couple can agree how to split or transfer the entitlement between them (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).
Do you have to go back to the same job after parental leave?
Yes, in most cases. Your employer must keep your job open if your leave is 4 weeks or less, and must also keep it open for longer leave unless the role is a "key position" that cannot reasonably be held open, or the role becomes genuinely redundant while you are away (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If your own job is not available, your employer must offer you a similar job on terms no less favourable.
Can I take extended parental leave without pay?
Yes. Extended leave, the period after the first 26 weeks for an employee with 12 months or more of service, is unpaid by the employer, and Inland Revenue's paid parental leave does not extend to cover it: the payment stops at 26 weeks regardless of how much unpaid leave you go on to take (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). Some families bridge this stretch with Best Start, which can begin once the paid parental leave payment ends.
What is the difference between parental leave and paid parental leave?
Parental leave is the legal right to time off work with your job protected, under the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987. Paid parental leave is a separate weekly payment from Inland Revenue, up to $811.05 a week for up to 26 weeks from 1 July 2026, that you may qualify for during part of that leave if you meet IRD's own work-history test (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). You can be entitled to the leave without qualifying for the payment, or vice versa in rare cases, because the two use different eligibility tests.
Does parental leave count towards my annual leave entitlement?
No. Time on unpaid parental leave (any part beyond the first 52 weeks of continuous employment, or beyond 12 weeks in a 52 week period for the purposes of leave calculations) does not usually count as time worked for building up annual holidays, and your annual leave anniversary date can be affected. Employment New Zealand's guidance on taking parental leave sets out how the employer must record this (retrieved 9 September 2026). Your own annual leave balance built up before you went on leave is unaffected and stays available to you.
How much service do I need before I qualify for any parental leave?
At least 6 months' employment with the same employer, averaging at least 10 hours a week, before your baby's due date or the date you become primary carer (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). The table below shows how the entitlement steps up at 12 months' service.
Parental leave length is set by a service test, and the table below shows the two service tiers side by side.
| Service with this employer before EDD | Parental leave entitlement | Extended leave available |
|---|---|---|
| Under 6 months | No statutory entitlement | No |
| 6 to under 12 months | Up to 26 weeks' primary carer leave | No |
| 12 months or more | Up to 26 weeks' primary carer leave | Yes, up to a further 26 weeks (52 weeks total) |
(Employment New Zealand: Guide for employees, parental leave, retrieved 9 September 2026.)
What is negotiated carer leave?
Negotiated carer leave is leave an employee agrees directly with their employer when they do not meet the service test for primary carer leave, for example someone under 6 months into a new job when their baby arrives (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). There is no statutory minimum; the length and whether it is paid are whatever the two parties agree.
Can I do paid work for my employer while on parental leave?
Yes, within limits. If you are receiving paid parental leave payments, you can do up to 64 "keeping-in-touch" hours of paid work for your employer without losing your full payment entitlement or being treated as back at work (Inland Revenue, retrieved 9 September 2026). Working more than 64 hours in that period is treated as returning to work early.
How much notice do I need to give before returning to work?
At least 21 days' written notice to your employer before you return, including if you are returning on your originally agreed date or returning early (govt.nz, retrieved 9 September 2026). Giving less notice does not remove your right to return, but it can affect how quickly your employer can have your role ready.
What happens if my role is genuinely redundant while I'm on leave?
Your employer can end your employment while you are on parental leave only if your position becomes genuinely redundant, following the same fair process and consultation obligations that apply to any other redundancy (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). Our guide to redundancy law and process in NZ sets out what a genuine redundancy has to look like.
What parental leave does not pay you
Parental leave is the legal right to the time off, not the money. The table below separates the leave entitlement on this page from the two payments that can run during part of it.
| What you need | Where it is covered |
|---|---|
| Job-protected time off, up to 52 weeks | This page (Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987) |
| The weekly payment for up to 26 weeks | Paid parental leave NZ: rates, weeks and who qualifies |
| The ongoing payment after leave, up to age 3 | Best Start payment NZ |
| Support with childcare costs once you return | Childcare Subsidy NZ |
| The wider Working for Families system | Working for Families NZ |
QuoteHub built the new baby checklist because families tend to plan around the leave and forget the gap: the unpaid stretch of extended leave, and the drop in household income if the higher earner is the one taking primary carer leave, is exactly what income protection and life insurance are designed to sit under. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name. If you want a licensed adviser to look at cover before or during parental leave, start a free comparison.
What else new parents usually sort out around the same time
Parental leave is one of about half a dozen decisions that land at once. The paid parental leave weekly rate is the payment most families budget around first, and once it ends, Best Start and the wider Working for Families payments, including the Family Tax Credit and the In-Work Tax Credit, are the next levers if you are going back to paid work. If childcare is part of the return-to-work plan, the Childcare Subsidy is income-tested and worth checking before you commit to daycare hours, and our pregnancy due date calculator explainer covers how the EDD that starts this whole clock is actually worked out.
On the cover side, our full cost-of-raising-a-child breakdown sets real numbers against the leave gap above, adding a baby to health insurance in NZ covers each insurer's enrolment deadline, and the new parent insurance checklist works through life, trauma and income cover in the order most families actually need it. If a death in the family already has you thinking about your own arrangements, making a will in New Zealand and our free will service are the starting points.
Adviser's view
The confusion QuoteHub keeps seeing is between the leave and the payment: the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987 protects your job for up to a year, but Inland Revenue only pays you for 26 weeks of that time, so the last stretch of a full year off is unpaid unless Best Start has started or you have your own savings or cover to bridge it.
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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Parental Leave NZ 2026: How Long You Can Take. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/new-baby/parental-leave-nz. Updated 2026-09-09.
References
- Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987
- Employment New Zealand: Guide for employees, parental leave
- Employment New Zealand: Types of parental leave
- Employment New Zealand: Covering parental leave and employees returning to work
- Employment New Zealand: Parental leave payments
- Inland Revenue: Keeping in touch hours
- govt.nz: Going back to work after your parental leave ends
Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, Guides.