Kiwis make the most of long weekends

NEWS REL E A S E Kiwis make the most of long weekends

Visa research shows a high proportion of Kiwis use annual leave to extend public holidays AUCKLAND, 5 April 2007 – Roughly half of New Zealand workers will look to lengthen their Easter break by adding on annual leave days, according to research commissioned and released by Visa International1.

Visa’s research conducted by UMR Pty Ltd found 48 per cent of Kiwis entitled to annual leave plan on combining it with public holidays to extend their vacation, and this percentage is even higher for younger workers.

Twenty-nine per cent of those taking additional leave around public holidays intend to use the time to travel overseas, says Bruce Mansfield, Visa International’s General Manager for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific.

“Taking an extra few days of annual leave around a public holiday is an attractive opportunity for many Kiwis as it gives them more destination options. According to our findings this is particularly apparent in the under-44 age bracket,” said Mr Mansfield.

Other findings show 13 per cent of New Zealand workers entitled to annual leave have more than 20 days annual leave owing with 11 per cent of workers taking less than one week off in 2006.

Furthermore five per cent of New Zealanders predict they won’t be taking any annual leave this year.

“It seems to take a public holiday weekend for many New Zealanders to realise they can actually take a break from work. Our strong work ethic is often what sets us apart Visa International (Australia and New Zealand)

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