WELLINGTON, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- 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 new-born and young children, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.
"Cabinet today decided to increase the duration of parental leave entitlements to 22 weeks from 1 July 2018, extending further to 26 weeks from 1 July 2020. We will be introducing legislation to Parliament to give effect to this week," 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 female 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 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), she noted.
The increased support for working families has a net cost of 325 million NZ dollars (224 million U.S. dollars) 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," she added.
