At the University of Auckland, law school professional teaching fellow Simon Schofield said he had heard of employers taking an increasingly stringent line in respect to sick leave. “In essence, by taking sick leave we’re hopefully not disrupting other people within the organisation. Not allowing people to accrue more than 20 days’ sick leave left them vulnerable, she said. “Currently, in this country, we put carer’s leave and sick leave together. If I’m looking after my children who are sick we put that in the same bucket as sick leave.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 10, 2026 10:45 UTC