Government Moves Extend Paid Parental Leave 26 Weeks Urgency

Posted on: Nov 13, 2017

On 8th November, Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Iain Lees-Galloway introduced a Bill to Parliament extending paid parental leave to 26 weeks by 2020, saying it is a vitally important move to support working families with newborns and young children.

“Our Government’s commitment to families is underscored by this legislation, which is the first to be introduced by the new administration, and we’re doing so with urgency,” says Mr Lees-Galloway.

“We campaigned on giving children the best start in life, and we’re making good on our pledge to extend paid parental leave to 26 weeks in the first day of legislation in the 52nd Parliament.”

The Parental Leave and Employment Protection Amendment Bill proposes the increase to be phased in over three years and two stages:

  • an increase from 18 to 22 weeks from 1 July 2018,
  • a further increase to 26 weeks from 1 July 2020.

“As well as the direct financial benefits to households and reducing stress on parents, extending paid parental leave has a range of positive impacts on child development and fostering parent-infant attachment.

“It also aligns with the World Health Organisation recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding up to six-months of age, all of which improves short-term and long-term child and society outcomes.

“This is just one of the measures in the Government’s Families Package which will better support families with children and reduce child poverty.

“Other measures include the Best Start scheme and boosting the Working for Families payments, targeting low and middle income families.

“The Government believes that every Kiwi child deserves the best start in life. The previous Government said it couldn’t be done, but we’re doing this now so I’m incredibly proud to be introducing this Bill to parliament today,” says Iain Lees-Galloway.

Source: www.beehive.govt.nz

 

Disclaimer

This article, and any information contained on our website is necessarily brief and general in nature, and should not be substituted for professional advice. You should always seek professional advice before taking any action in relation to the matters addressed.

Disclaimer

This article, and any information contained on our website is necessarily brief and general in nature, and should not be substituted for professional advice. You should always seek professional advice before taking any action in relation to the matters addressed.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Christmas is coming…

Christmas is coming…

Once Labour Day has been [yes, believe it or not it’s this coming Monday], the next public holidays are at Christmas and New Year. It always feels like employers have to put a bit more thought into Christmas and New Year because: there are four public holidays; this is a time that many businesses have their annual closedown period; many employees take their annual leave; some employees don’t have enough leave to cover this period; some employment agreements have special rates for these public holidays; and, let’s face it, it is a busy busy busy time. In the next few weeks, my colleague, Tasneem Begum, and I will be offering a free webinar for those employers who want a bit more information around those tricky calculations for leave at this time of the year. We will also be able to answer the questions you have and the challenges you face with leave during the Christmas/New Year period. You are not alone with the questions you have – Questions we are often asked at this time of the year are about employing staff to cover the busy Christmas period

Read More
One of those weeks: Mental Health Awareness Week 2022

One of those weeks: Mental Health Awareness Week 2022

I have had one of those weeks where I have been in full day mediations virtually every day out of Auckland. What hit me at these mediations is the despair that people find themselves in by the time they arrive at my door. With varying degrees, all of these mediations had people in deep emotional turmoil. Anguish, frustration, anger and deep sadness, to the point where I had to pause to ensure the people were in the right space to make good decisions for themselves.

Read More
What the heck is going on with pay?

What the heck is going on with pay?

While we are conscious of the impact that inflation is having on wage and salary conversations, there are four other levers that have been, and are being, used to bring about fundamental change and significant uplift to pay in New Zealand. The Government is using these levers to drive increases in pay at various levels in ways that we may not be conscious of. However, when brought together as a single thread, they are having a big impact.

Read More
PREV NEXT