The National Party is supporting extending paid parental leave to 26 weeks by 2020.
"We'll support it. It will be good for mothers and babies," leader Bill English told TVNZ's Breakfast show.
"And I hope that they build in some of the flexibility that would allow both parents to take some periods of that at the same time."
Yesterday Cabinet approved the policy to increase paid parental leave to 22 weeks by July 1, 2018, and 26 weeks by July 1, 2020.
Paid parental leave is now 18 weeks. The Government will meet the cost of increasing it and estimates it will cost $325m over four years.