Employee benefits in New Zealand: the complete guide
A practical guide to the statutory benefits every New Zealand employer must provide, the common voluntary benefits used to compete for talent, and how the two fit together in a total compensation package.
On this page
- Statutory (legally required) benefits
- Annual leave, sick leave and public holidays
- Parental leave and payments
- KiwiSaver retirement savings
- ACC personal injury cover
- Common voluntary benefits
- Health insurance in New Zealand
- What a competitive package looks like by role
- How benefits work through an EOR or PEO
- Frequently asked questions
Statutory (legally required) benefits
New Zealand law sets a floor of minimum entitlements that apply to virtually every employee, regardless of what is written (or not written) in an individual employment agreement. These cannot be contracted out of to the employee's disadvantage.
| Benefit | Minimum entitlement | Governing law |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum wage | $23.95/hr adult rate (from 1 April 2026) | Minimum Wage Act 1983 |
| Annual holidays | 4 weeks' paid leave per year after 12 months' employment | Holidays Act 2003 |
| Public holidays | 11 statutory public holidays, paid if otherwise a working day | Holidays Act 2003 |
| Sick leave | 10 days per year after 6 months, accumulating up to 20 days | Holidays Act 2003 |
| Bereavement leave | 3 days for immediate family, 1 day for wider bereavement in some cases | Holidays Act 2003 |
| Family violence leave | 10 days per year | Holidays Act 2003 (as amended) |
| Parental leave | Up to 26 weeks paid, up to 52 weeks unpaid (job protected) | Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987 |
| KiwiSaver employer contribution | Minimum 3.5% of gross pay (from 1 April 2026) | KiwiSaver Act 2006 |
| ACC cover | Earner's levy funds 24/7 no-fault personal injury cover | Accident Compensation Act 2001 |
Annual leave, sick leave and public holidays
- 4 weeks' paid leave per year, accruing from day one but only able to be taken (in most cases) after 12 months' continuous employment
- Paid at the greater of ordinary weekly pay or average weekly earnings over the previous 12 months, whichever is higher
- Can be paid out in cash for any portion above 3 weeks, once a year, if the employee requests it
- 10 days per year after 6 months' continuous employment, then 10 more each following work anniversary
- Unused sick leave carries over up to a maximum accrual of 20 days
- Can be used for the employee's own illness or injury, or to care for a dependant such as a spouse, partner, child or parent
- 11 statutory public holidays: New Year's Day, Day after New Year's Day, Waitangi Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, King's Birthday, Matariki, Labour Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day
- Paid at relevant daily pay if it falls on a day the employee would otherwise have worked
- If an employee works on a public holiday, they must be paid time-and-a-half plus given an alternative paid day off in lieu
- 3 days' bereavement leave for the death of an immediate family member; employer discretion applies to wider family or close relationships
- 10 days' family violence leave per year for employees affected by family violence, alongside protections against adverse treatment
Parental leave and payments
Eligible employees can take up to 26 weeks of government-funded paid parental leave, plus extended unpaid leave, with their job protected throughout.
| Entitlement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Paid parental leave | Up to 26 weeks, government-funded, paid directly to the employee (not by the employer) |
| Maximum weekly payment | $811.05 per week from 1 July 2026, in line with average weekly earnings |
| Minimum payment (self-employed) | $239.50 per week from 1 July 2026 |
| Extended unpaid leave | Up to 52 weeks total (paid plus unpaid combined), job protected |
| Partner's leave | Up to 2 weeks' unpaid partner's/paternity leave, separate from the primary carer's leave |
| Keeping in touch days | Up to 64 hours of paid work during the paid parental leave period without losing entitlement |
The employer's core obligation is job protection: an employee returning from parental leave is generally entitled to return to the same position, or a similar one if the original role no longer exists, on no less favourable terms.
KiwiSaver retirement savings
KiwiSaver is New Zealand's voluntary (for employees) workplace retirement savings scheme, but once an employee is enrolled, employer contributions become compulsory.
- New employees are automatically enrolled unless they opt out within a set window, though enrolment is not mandatory for all workers
- Minimum combined contribution is 3.5% from the employee and 3.5% from the employer, from 1 April 2026 (up from 3%)
- Employees can apply to IRD for a temporary reduction to 3% for financial hardship, in which case the employer's minimum contribution also drops to 3%
- Rates are legislated to rise again to 4% each from 1 April 2028
- Employer contributions are subject to Employer Superannuation Contribution Tax (ESCT), deducted before the contribution reaches the employee's fund
- Some employers offer contributions above the legal minimum as a competitive benefit
- Government contributions (member tax credits) also apply up to an annual cap for eligible members
ACC personal injury cover
New Zealand's Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) scheme provides no-fault personal injury cover for everyone in the country, funded partly through an earner's levy deducted from employee pay.
| Detail | 2026/27 figure |
|---|---|
| Earner's levy rate | 1.75% of gross earnings |
| Maximum liable earnings | $156,641 |
| Maximum annual levy | $2,741.22 |
Because ACC provides universal no-fault injury cover, employees generally cannot sue their employer for personal injury (with narrow exceptions), which is a materially different system from countries relying on employer liability insurance or litigation.
Common voluntary benefits
Beyond the statutory floor, New Zealand employers compete for talent with a fairly standard set of voluntary benefits, though take-up varies a lot by industry, company size and role seniority.
- Health insurance (individual or family cover)
- Additional KiwiSaver contributions above the 3.5% minimum
- Flexible or hybrid working arrangements
- Additional annual leave beyond the 4-week statutory minimum
- Life and income protection insurance
- Professional development and study support
- Vehicle or vehicle allowance
- Share schemes or long-term incentive plans
- Wellness stipends and Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP)
- Paid volunteer or community leave days
- Relocation support
- Enhanced parental leave top-ups above the government-funded rate
Health insurance in New Zealand
New Zealand has a public healthcare system funded through general taxation, so private health insurance is a supplementary benefit rather than a necessity the way it is in some countries without universal coverage. Even so, it remains one of the most requested benefits by candidates, mainly because it reduces wait times for elective (non-urgent) procedures and specialist consultations.
- Employer-funded health insurance is a taxable benefit (fringe benefit tax applies) unless structured in specific exempt ways
- Common providers include Southern Cross, nib and AIA, typically offered through a group scheme at a discount to individual rates
- Employers can choose to cover the employee only, or extend cover to partners and dependants at additional cost
What a competitive package looks like by role
| Level | Typical statutory-plus package |
|---|---|
| Entry-level / minimum wage roles | Statutory minimums only, occasionally with a small KiwiSaver top-up or staff discount |
| Mid-level professional | Statutory minimums plus health insurance, 4-5 weeks' annual leave, KiwiSaver at or slightly above minimum |
| Senior / management | All of the above plus enhanced KiwiSaver, income protection, vehicle allowance, and sometimes a short-term incentive or bonus scheme |
| Executive | All of the above plus long-term incentives, executive health checks, and negotiated individual terms beyond the standard policy |
How benefits work through an EOR or PEO
Businesses hiring in New Zealand through an Employer of Record (EOR) or PEO still need to meet the same statutory benefit floor described above — using an EOR does not reduce an employee's legal entitlements. What changes is who administers them.
- The EOR, as the legal employer, is responsible for correctly calculating and paying annual leave, sick leave, public holiday pay, parental leave administration and KiwiSaver contributions
- Voluntary benefits such as health insurance can usually still be added, either through the EOR's own group scheme or reimbursed based on the client company's policy, though options vary by provider
- Businesses comparing EOR providers for New Zealand should ask specifically how each one handles the Holidays Act's "greater of" calculation, since it is a common source of underpayment errors even among established payroll providers
Frequently asked questions
Is private health insurance compulsory for employers to provide? No. New Zealand has universal public healthcare, so private health insurance is always a voluntary employer benefit, not a legal requirement.
Do part-time and casual employees get the same statutory benefits as full-time employees? Broadly yes, on a pro-rata basis for leave entitlements. Casual employees accrue entitlements differently (often calculated as a percentage of gross earnings, known as "8% pay-as-you-go" holiday pay) if their work pattern is genuinely irregular.
Can an employer offer less than the statutory minimum if the employee agrees? No. Statutory minimum entitlements cannot be contracted out of to an employee's disadvantage, even with the employee's written agreement.
Are bonuses or commissions considered part of "benefits"? They're usually categorised separately as variable pay rather than benefits, but they do count when calculating average weekly earnings for annual holiday pay purposes if paid regularly.
What is the single biggest compliance risk around benefits for a new employer in New Zealand? Getting the Holidays Act annual leave and public holiday pay calculations wrong — it is a widely acknowledged pain point even for experienced New Zealand payroll teams, and has led to significant back-payment remediation programmes at several large employers.