The National Party has announced a policy to gradually extend paid parental leave from 26 to 30 weeks by 2029, if re-elected, and to allow parents to take leave at the same time. The announcement, made under the "Budget 2026" banner with the theme "Fixing the basics," would begin with an increase from 26 to 27 weeks as the first step toward the 30-week target (National Party). The policy also includes providing government KiwiSaver contributions to people on paid parental leave from 1 July 2027, even if the person is not otherwise contributing (National Party).

The announcement came the week after Stuart Nash resigned as a New Zealand First candidate. Nash had suggested Katie Nimon, National's MP for Napier, was "the laziest" for the amount of leave she took after having a baby. Christopher Luxon said he could not have predicted Nash's comments about Nimon (RNZ).

Luxon, asked about Labour's criticism that National blocked a paid parental leave extension in 2016, said he only came to politics in 2020 and did not know what happened in the past. He framed the policy as forward-looking (RNZ).

Labour's broader critique referenced National's record across several areas: the 2016 paid parental leave block, cuts to Best Start payments, reduced funding for school lunches, and the restarting of pay equity negotiations. The ACT Party separately questioned the timing of National's paid parental leave announcement (RNZ).

The policy rollout lands against a difficult polling backdrop for National. In an RNZ-Reid Research poll, National recorded 28.7 percent, which would give it 36 seats in the House, down from 48. That result has immediate implications for the party's list composition. National has five list MPs: Nicola Willis, Paul Goldsmith, Gerry Brownlee, Melissa Lee, and Nancy Lu (RNZ).

Willis is running as a list-only candidate and said she was not concerned about not getting back into Parliament. Goldsmith contests the Epsom seat held by ACT's David Seymour and was not sure he would be back in Parliament on 28.7 percent party vote. Hutt South MP Chris Bishop said it would be "highly unlikely" he would retain his electorate seat on current polling (RNZ).

The broader context here is a party simultaneously pitching a family-friendly policy while its caucus faces the real possibility of significant seat losses. The gap between National's current 48 seats and the 36 projected on 28.7 percent party vote means roughly a dozen MPs could be out of Parliament after the next election, depending on electorate results and the final count. The fate of senior figures like Goldsmith and Bishop hinges on factors outside the party vote alone — electorate contests where ACT's David Seymour holds Epsom and where Bishop's Hutt South margin may not hold on current numbers.

The paid parental leave policy itself is phased rather than immediate. The first step moves leave from 26 to 27 weeks, with subsequent increases building toward 30 weeks by 2029. The simultaneous-leave provision would allow both parents to draw on paid parental leave at the same time, rather than sequentially. The KiwiSaver component, starting 1 July 2027, would see the government continue contributions during parental leave even when the parent has paused their own contributions.

For the press gallery, the political dynamics around this announcement are at least as notable as the policy substance. The Nash resignation and his comments about Nimon's parental leave use created the immediate news environment in which National chose to announce an extension to that same entitlement. Luxon's deflection on the 2016 vote — that he was not in Parliament at the time — is a line that may not hold indefinitely if Labour continues to press the contrast between National's past opposition and its current proposal. And ACT questioning the timing adds coalition-management friction to a week where National would have preferred a clean policy rollout.

The polling numbers sharpen every one of those dynamics. At 28.7 percent, National's list ranks tighten considerably. List MPs who entered Parliament on a stronger party vote now face a margin where electorate wins and losses directly determine whether they return. Willis's stated confidence about returning as a list-only candidate is a signal that the party's internal read of the situation may differ from the public polling, or at least that senior figures are choosing not to signal concern publicly. Goldsmith's uncertainty about his own return is more candid, and reflects the genuine electoral risk the party faces in its heartland seats.