Do you know what sick leave you’re entitled to?
With winter bugs doing the rounds, it’s worth knowing what the rules are about sick leave. So what are you entitled to?
• In general you’re entitled to 5 days’ of sick leave each year after you’ve worked for your employer for 6 months.
• You can accumulate any unused sick leave up to a total of 20 days.
• Sick leave can be used when you’re sick or when you need to be off work to look after someone else who is sick or injured (your partner, child, or someone who relies on you for care).
• Even if you’re a part-time or casual worker, you’re still entitled to 5 days’ of sick leave a year (once you’ve worked for 6 months continuously or for an average of 10 hours per week, and at least one hour in every week or 40 hours in every month).
• Your employer can require you to provide a medical certificate if you’re sick for 3 or more days in a row, and you’ll need to pay to get it. If they want proof of sickness sooner then they will have to pay the costs of getting the proof.
These are the minimum sick leave entitlements. Your employer can agree to give you more.
Check out our website for more information about sick leave and other employment rights and responsibilities. If you’ve got questions get in touch with a CAB near you, call us on 0800 367 222 (0800 FOR CAB), or contact us online.
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
Part volunteer/paid cook required
Drive Social Club requires a Cook, to purchase goods and cook a basic 2 course meal for the older members, with experience help available, every Monday morning except public holidays from mid Jan. to end Nov. at the Greenmeadow East Community Hall. For further inquiries, Phone Elsie 021 2631904
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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52.6% Human-centred experience and communication
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14.8% Critical thinking
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29.8% Resilience and adaptability
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2.8% Other - I will share below!
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