NZ widower who couldn't get parental leave after wife died in childbirth gets special payout

May 8, 2018
MP Iain Lees-Galloway

A widower who did not receive paid parental leave after his wife died in childbirth will get Government compensation.

The Christchurch man will receive a one-off, no obligation grant of the equivalent to the paid leave he did not receive, Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said today, the NZ Herald reported..

The man was unable to get the leave because his partner had not worked for a year prior to having the baby.

Mr Lees-Galloway said the government was urgently looking for a way to make what he called a "terrible situation" right.

The mother died after her heart stopped as she arrived at hospital with the baby being born by C-section at 33 weeks.

The man was being supported by his work as he also looked after his partner's two kids from a previous relationship.

However, that was not sustainable and he wanted access to paid parental leave.

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