The Minister responsible for workplace relations says there is no plan to reduce sick leave from ten days to five, following comments by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told public radio reducing the number of sick leave days was not being considered.

She said her focus was on a proposal to make sick leave proportional to the number of hours someone works, which had already been approved by Cabinet.

“My officials and I have focused on developing pro-rated sick leave, which was previously agreed to by Cabinet. We have not been developing a reduction in sick leave from ten days to five days,” van Velden said.

Earlier on RNZ, Prime Minister Luxon was asked if his Government was looking at reducing the entitlement. “That’s something that I know Brooke van Velden is looking into. She looks at a whole raft of workplace relations,” Luxon said.

“It’s a bit premature for now.”

Luxon’s response caused confusion and prompted van Velden to publicly clarify the Government’s position.

Currently, all employees in New Zealand who have worked for the same employer for at least six months, and meet the minimum weekly or monthly hour requirements, are entitled to ten days of paid sick leave each year. Unused leave can carry over, allowing a maximum of twenty days.

The previous Labour Government increased sick leave from five to ten days in 2021 during the Covid pandemic. National opposed the change at the time but said during the last election campaign it would not reduce the entitlement.

Luxon has hinted that changes to employment law are still on the table, but van Velden has confirmed that any reforms to sick leave will focus on making the system more proportionate for part-time workers.