NEW Zealand parents can look forward to 26 weeks paid parental leave by July 2020 as part of the government’s promise to better support working families with newborn and young children, the Xinhua news agency reported Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as saying.

“Cabinet today decided to increase the duration of parental leave entitlements to 22 weeks from July 1, 2018, extending further to 26 weeks from July 1, 2020,” Ardern said in a statement.

“This is a key part of our Families Package and one all three parties of government have been proud to support because it’s the right thing to do,” Ardern said.

Children need to have the best start in life, and evidence shows that having a parent at home as long as possible to care for a child provides a huge benefit for that child’s development, the new prime minister said.

Some 28,000 parents in New Zealand currently enjoy 18 weeks of paid parental leave, but that’s one of the lowest in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), she noted.

The increased support for working families has a net cost of NZ$325 million (RM949 million) over the four-year forecast period, which is part of the government’s budget, Ardern said.

“This is an investment in families that will benefit children and all of society.” – Bernama, November 6, 2017.