Primary teachers are entitled to various kinds of leave. The different types and how much time you can have are covered in Part 4part 4 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.
Sick leave
The basic sick leave entitlement for full-time primary teachers is 5 days a year. An extra entitlement of leave is granted depending on how long you’ve worked as a teacher. The table below shows the extra leave days you will get if you started work as a teacher after 1 July 1992.
| Time you've worked | Extra sick leave |
|---|---|
| Up to 3 months | 7 days |
| Over 3 months and up to 6 months | 7 days |
| Over 6 months and up to 9 months | 7 days |
| Over 9 months and up to 5 years | 5 days |
| Over 5 years and up to 10 years | 19 days |
| Over 10 years and up to 20 years | 14 days |
| Over 20 years and up to 30 years | 25 days |
| Over 30 years | 22 days |
If you were working as a teacher before 1 July 1992, please check clause 4.1.4 for the table showing your sick leave entitlement.
If you don't use all your sick leave in a year, you can carry it forward, but you can't anticipate from a future year’s sick leave allocation.
Please read clause 4.1 and clause 4.2 of your collective agreement for full details on sick leave, including entitlements for part-time teachers and special circumstances.
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– mothers 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 websiteMinistry 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 websiteMinistry of Business, Innovation and Employment website explains how to apply for parental leave payments.
If you work part time, there is some informationyou can use the calculator on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment websitethe Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website to help you 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 clause 4.3 of your collective agreement as you may be entitled to more than the minimums required by law.
Maternity grant
Female teachers 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
There are 75 full-time study awards granted each year across New Zealand for primary school teachers and principals. Clause 4.84.6 ofof your collective agreement allows you to have paid leave if you qualify for one of these study awards.
You can also be given unpaid leave to prepare for and sit exams, and for travelling time.
Sabbatical leave
Sabbatical leave allows you to take 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 50 for primary teachers.
Sabbatical leave provisions are covered in clause 4.104.8 ofof 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 are a full-time teacher (or at least 0.8 of full-time equivalent) and have reached the experienced teacher professional standards, you can take unpaid refreshment leave of:
- one school term after 3 years of working at your school, or
- one 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 teacher to fill in for you while you are on leave.
Clause 4.94.7 ofof your collective agreement has the full details about refreshment leave, including the maximum number of teachers that can be on refreshment leave from a school at any one time.
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.