The Families Commission is repeating a call for an extension to paid parental leave, upping it from 14 weeks to 13 months.
It also wanted to see a month of paid leave for fathers, saying both moves would be good both for families and the economy.
[commentcaption=Do you think 14 weeks paid parental leave is enough?]Commissioner Bruce Pilbrow said New Zealand's allowance was very low by international standards with most developed countries offering at least 12 months.
He said research showed employers supported longer paid leave periods as it allowed them to plan better and helped retain staff.
The commission cited a release from the Ministry of Education yesterday that showed a large increase in the number of early childhood education centres with waiting lists of more than six months.
"Part of the problem has been attributed to more parents having to go back to work at the end of their 14 weeks for financial reasons, not necessarily because they want to," the commission said.
In June the Labour Party drafted a member's bill proposing the extension of paid parental leave to six months by 2013.
The bill has joined the ballot with other member's bills, waiting to be drawn in Parliament.
In 2007 the commission said it wanted to see paid parental leave extended to cover a 13-month period by 2015.
