The parenting deficit: The numbers that show why school holidays are asking the impossible

Analysis byChief Lifestyle & Entertainment Reporter·NZ Herald·24 Sep, 2026 02:00 AM7 mins to readJenni Mortimer, Chief Lifestyle & Entertainment Reporter for the New Zealand Herald, is passionate about telling stories and providing a place to escape for kiwis in amongst the hard news.‌The mismatch between hours required for childcare and work are making the lives for parents increasingly difficult to balance.As working parents prepare to juggle the school holidays yet again, conversation is growing about the extreme difference between work leave balances and school holidays. Senior Lifestyle Reporter and parent Jenni Mortimer has done the math for working Kiwi parents with school-age children, who are going into every year with .