Leave and holidays
Whakamatuatanga me ngā hararei

Employees have minimum rights that apply to public holidays.

• Public holidays and anniversary dates
• Previous years: Public holidays and anniversary dates
• Managing public holidays as an employer
• Public holidays rights for employees
• Transferring a public holiday
• Alternative holidays
• When a public holiday falls on a weekend
• Restricted trading days for shops
• Working and trading on Easter Sunday

All employees become entitled to 4 weeks annual holidays (annual leave) after 12 months of continuous employment.

• Managing annual holidays
• Taking annual holidays
• Annual closedowns and holidays

Eligible employees are entitled to 10 days of paid sick leave each year so they can care for themselves, their partners or their dependants.

• Managing sick leave
• Taking sick leave

Eligible employees can take paid bereavement leave if someone close to them dies, including for a miscarriage or stillbirth.

• Managing bereavement leave
• Taking bereavement leave

Employees may be able to take leave from work to care for their new child.

• Managing parental leave as an employer
• Taking parental leave
• Types of parental leave
• If you’re self-employed

Eligible employees are entitled to up to 10 days of paid leave each year if they, or a child who lives with them, experience family violence.

• Managing family violence leave
• Taking family violence leave

Employees, summoned for jury service, are entitled to leave from their workplace to fulfil their jury duty. The Ministry of Justice administers jury service.

Employment Relations Education (ERE) leave is paid leave union members can take to attend approved courses in employment relations. Unions calculate and allocate ERE leave entitlements.

Employees must be given leave to vote in general elections or by-elections.

An employer must let employees take leave – and keep their jobs open – while they are training for, or serving voluntarily in the Armed Forces.

Employment agreements may provide other leave types with or without pay that are not enacted in laws. This page covers the most common types, but is not exhaustive.

• Leave without pay
• Long service leave
• Leave in lieu of notice
• Leave during and after a natural disaster