Parental leave
Employees are entitled to parental leave provisions under the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987.
When recording an employee’s parental leave in EdPay, assigning the correct code means their employment status is clear and they will remain eligible for remediation payments, allowances, and other benefits they could be due to receive.
Some employees working in the education service have additional parental leave provisions under their employment agreement.
Five types of leave make up parental leave by law
Parental leave is made up of:
- Four types of unpaid leave.
- One type of paid leave.
Unpaid leave
| Unpaid leave types |
Timeframe |
|
Parental leave/ maternity leave/ primary carer leave
|
14 continuous weeks
|
|
Special leave
|
Up to 10 days
|
|
Partner's leave
|
Up to 2 weeks
|
|
Extended leave
|
Up to 52 weeks
|
Paid leave
| Paid leave type |
Funding |
|
Paid Parental leave
|
Up to 26 weeks
|
The Government funds up to 26 weeks' parental leave for eligible working mothers and adoptive parents who take parental leave from their jobs.
Your employee applies for paid parental leave using the Paid Parental Leave Application for an Employee IR880 available from Inland Revenue. After they have completed the applicant section, you:
- Complete the employer section.
- Give the form back to your employee to send to the Inland Revenue.
If you need help filling in the employer section, contact the Education Payroll Service Centre
Paid parental leave application for an employee IR880.
Some employment agreements have extra parental leave provisions
Some education sector employment agreements have parental leave provisions that are on top of what the law provides. Your employee's agreement might include:
- The maternity grant (or ex-gratia payment)
- Extra unpaid parental leave
Maternity grant
The maternity grant is a grant for female teachers, principals, special education assistants, and some therapists (employed before 1992) who:
- Have been eligible to take maternity leave for the baby or adopted child
- Produce their baby's birth certificate or evidence of an approved adoptive placement
Ex-gratia payment
The ex-gratia payment is a payment for female Blind and Low Vision Education Network New Zealand (BLENNZ) and special residential school employees who:
- Have been eligible to take maternity leave for the baby or adopted child
- Produce their baby's birth certificate or evidence of an approved adoptive placement
Female employees may transfer this payment to their partner, if their partner is employed by the school or state sector.
Unpaid leave extra provisions
Some collective agreements have unpaid parental leave provisions that are on top of what the law provides.
Read more on the employment.govt.nz website: