The changes clarify:
- that certain absences from work will still count as hours worked when assessing whether an employer or self-employed person meets the required work hours to qualify for parental leave payments
- that any week for which preterm baby payments are made are in addition to, and must not be counted as part of the maximum period of primary carer leave, the maximum period of extended leave or the duration of the parental leave payment
- that a person who is a primary carer but not the birth mother or their spouse/partner (for example, through adoption, surrogacy, or whāngai) is entitled to a parental leave payment if the person stops working as an eligible employee or an eligible self-employed person within a reasonable period after becoming the primary carer
- the start of parental leave payment period where there is a preterm birth or for certain primary carers.