On Father’s Day, National is all about giving Dads choice, National’s Social Development Spokesperson Louise Upston says.

“Dad’s matter and National is all about valuing them.  We want to give families choices when it comes to paid parental leave which is why we announced earlier this week that fathers can choose to take their parental leave at the same time as their partners.

“Both parents should have the opportunity to bond with their baby during the first few months of life, according to their needs.

“Paid parental leave is currently available to parents for up to 26 weeks, however at the moment leave can only be split between the parents and not taken by both parents at the same time.

“As part of our First 1000 days policy, we have committed to allowing both parents to take paid parental leave at the same time, if they choose to. National will give parents more control, regardless of their situation or parenting experience.

“National trusts parents. They should be able to make the decision on how they would like to spend the first weeks of their child’s life.

“National believes in empowering fathers to make decisions about their children and their own wellbeing. If they would like to be at home together after the birth of their child, then we think they should have the right to do so.”

You can read about our 'First 1,000 days' policy here.