Paid parental leave in New Zealand: a short history and future policy options

Abstract

In early 2005 the Labour-Progressive government stated that, while New Zealand’s overall labour force participation rates were high, the rate for some groups of women, particularly those aged 25-34 years, were below the OECD average. Given that this is the main childbearing age range for New Zealand women, mothers of young children form a significant component of this group. There was subsequently much debate about the benefits or otherwise of bringing more mothers into paid work and, inevitably, questions arose about the level of both parental leave and childcare support available to new parents.