Brooke Van Velden outlines new Employment Leave Act for NZ workersBrooke Van Velden unveils the Employment Leave Act, replacing the Holidays Act. The new system simplifies annual, sick, parental, and casual leave, with hours-based accrual, fair pro-rata sick leave, and transparency for employers and employees. You have to admit it, the Minister for Handmaids, Brooke van Velden is in it to win it. Because Labour’s incremental fecklessness on sick pay by siding with the bosses to give a 12 month stand down has been ruthlessly exploited by Brooke, she’s played our weakness off against our cowardice. We wouldn’t be giving Brooke this enormous win if we’d had balls when negotiating the 10 days sick pay in the first place.