Area school principals are entitled to various kinds of leave. The different types and how much time you can have are covered in part 5part 5 of your collective agreement.
Other types of leave are also covered in your collective agreement, such as for bereavement (tangihanga), to compete in sports events, to attend cultural events, to care for family members or to participate in significant family ceremonies. Please read your collective agreement carefully for full details of these types of leave.
Annual leave
Area school principals are entitled to the standard 20 days allowed in section 16 of the Holidays Act 2003, as your collective agreement does not give you any specific entitlement ( clauses 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 ).
You must take your annual leave outside of term time, when your school is closed. If you and your board agree, you may be able to carry forward some of your annual leave to the next year.
Sick leave
Your sick leave allocation depends on how long you have worked as a principal. The table below shows how much leave you are entitled to.
| Time you've worked | Total sick leave for that time |
|---|---|
| Up to 3 months | 7 days |
| Over 3 months and up to 6 months | 14 days |
| Over 6 months and up to 9 months | 31 days |
| Over 9 months and up to 5 years | 46 days |
| Over 5 years and up to 10 years | 92 says |
| Over 10 years and up to 20 years | 154 days |
| Over 20 years and up to 30 years | 229 days |
| Over 30 years | 306 days |
You are allowed to anticipate sick leave from a future year’s entitlement if you need to. Full details of your sick leave entitlement are covered in clause 5.1.3 of your collective agreement, which states that you are allowed the same sick leave as in clause 5.1 of the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement.
Parental leave
Parental leave is granted by the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987 . It applies to a birth mother, their partner/spouse and people who adopt a child aged under 6.
Parental leave covers 4 types of leave.
- Maternity leave– if you are a mother, you can get up to 18
16weeks off work from around the time of birth or from the time you start caring for an adopted child. - Partner/paternity leave– if your partner has had a baby or you have adopted a child together, you can take up to 2 weeks off.
- Extended leave– you may be able to extend your maternity leave for an extra 52 weeks.
- Special leave– while you are pregnant, you can have up to 10 days’ pregnancy-related leave.
You need to apply to your employer before taking parental leave. The usual notice required is 3 months but this can be reduced in some circumstances, such as if an adoption is arranged in a short time. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website explains how to apply for parental leave.
Parental leave payment
If you qualify for the parental leave payment, it is paid through Inland Revenue, so you need to apply for this payment and your school must confirm that you are entitled to parental leave. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website explains how to apply for parental leave payments.
If you work part time, you can use the calculator on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website to work out your parental leave payment.
Parental leave in your collective agreement
The Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987 sets out the minimum parental leave entitlements. Please check your collective agreement as you may be entitled to more than the minimums required by law. Clause 5.1.3 of your collective agreement states that you are entitled to the same provisions as area school teachers ( clause 5.2 of the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement).
Maternity grant
Female principals who have had a baby or adopted a child can apply for a maternity grant. You can only get the grant if you have been approved for maternity leave or have resigned because of the pregnancy or adoption. Your school will apply for the grant for you, through Novopay. Your collective agreement has more information about the grant.
Study and sabbatical leave
The Ministry is keen to support your professional development. If you are interested in completing a qualification or gaining another qualification so you can teach a different subject, or taking time off to research a topic of interest, you may qualify for study leave or sabbatical leave.
Study leave
Your school board may allow you to take special leave, either with or without pay, for study or other professional development. This is covered in clause 5.1.5 of your collective agreement.
Sabbatical leave
Sabbatical leave allows you to take up to 10 weeks' paid leave to carry out research that will benefit your school or the education sector. A certain number of sabbaticals are awarded each year across New Zealand, including 7 for area school principals.
Sabbatical leave provisions are covered in clause 5.2 of your collective agreement.
How to apply for study leave or sabbatical leave
You can find full details about all the study and sabbatical opportunities and how to apply on the TeachNZ website.
Refreshment leave
Refreshment leave is a period of unpaid time off to allow you to take a break and return to your role feeling rejuvenated.
If you have reached the professional standards that apply to your length of service as a principal, you can take unpaid refreshment leave of:
- 1 school term after 3 years of working at your school, or
- 1 school year after 5 years of working at your school.
After you have taken refreshment leave, you will need to work at the school for another 3 or 5 years respectively before you can apply for more refreshment leave.
You will only be able to take refreshment leave if your school is able to find a suitable relief principal to fill in for you while you are on leave.
Clause 5.1.3 of your collective agreement states that you are entitled to the same refreshment leave provisions as area school teachers ( clause 5.7 of the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement).
How to apply for refreshment leave
Write to your school board, explaining why you want to take refreshment leave and the time period you are requesting. Your board can approve or decline your request; they do not have to apply to the Ministry of Education.