Who can take parental leave?

Female employees who are having a baby can apply for parental leave. If two spouses/partners assume the care of a child under six years that they intend to jointly adopt, they can nominate which of them is primarily eligible for parental leave. 

You are eligible for parental leave if you have:
Worked for the same employer for an average of at least 10 hours a week, and at least one hour in every week or 40 hours in every month, in the six or 12 months immediately before the baby’s expected due date or the date you have assumed the care of a child you intend to adopt.

You can take parental leave multiple times, as long as six months elapse between the date you returned to work and the expected date of birth of the subsequent child. You must also meet the eligibility requirements each time.

There are different entitlements available to employees depending on whether they meet the six or 12 month criteria. If you have worked for the same employer for more than 12 months but have an inconsistent work pattern and do not meet the average hours of work criteria over the twelve months, you should also calculate your entitlement over six months as you may still be eligible for parental leave under the six month criteria.

The primary entitlement for paid parental leave rests with the birth mother. Where you have assumed the care of a child you intend to jointly adopt, the primary carer can transfer some or all of the payment to their spouse/partner, if they are also eligible. If the adoption is by one person alone, only that person can apply for paid parental leave. The spouse/partner must also meet either the six month or 12 month eligibility criteria as described above, or meet the self-employed eligibility criteria.

A spouse or partner is a person in a married, civil union or de facto relationship (including same-sex partners) with the mother or the primary carer who assumes the care of the child they intend to jointly adopt with their spouse/partner. They do not need to be the natural parent of the child.

To see how entitlements can be shared read our fact sheet: Summary of paid and unpaid leave entitlements.

Special Rules for Junior Doctors and Teachers

If you are a junior doctor working for a district health board (DHB) or a teacher employed by a school board of trustees the following rules apply:

• If you are a junior doctor and you are required to rotate between different DHBs as part of your compulsory training, your length of service with each employing DHB will be added together for the purposes of determining whether you meet the six or 12 month criteria for leave and payments. You will still need to meet the hours of work test. 
• If you are a teacher employed by multiple boards of trustees during the eligibility period, those jobs are counted together in determining whether you meet the six or 12 month criteria for leave and payments. You will still need to meet the hours of work test.

You can check our FAQ Knowledgebase, or you can contact the Department of Labour on 0800 20 90 20 during business hours if either of these situations apply to you.

This page was last updated on: 12-Oct-2009 and is current.