Shock, horror! A new survey is out that suggests Kiwis just are not taking enough holidays and are prepared to work extra rather than take even the holiday they are entitled to.

Now – just so you know – the survey is commissioned by Expedia – so bear that in mind. They claim that about 45% of Kiwis do not take their full holiday entitlement. I find that quite bizarre, as New Zealand employers aren’t exactly generous with their holiday allowances at the best of times. It’s only recently that Kiwis have been able to take 4 weeks holiday a year as of right – until then it was a measly 2 weeks for most people. When you bear in mind that Hubby used to get 5 weeks minimum in the UK with an extra 2 days a year because he had worked for the same company for 10 years – you can see that it is still not exactly generous now.

Only workers in Australia, Canada, Japan and the US got fewer holidays than us Kiwis. I’m guessing it wont be a surprise to many people that France got the most!

Worryingly, the survey also says that 35% of Kiwi workers were changing their holiday plans because of the state of the economy. It is not clear from the report whether this is simply a case of taking a cheaper holiday, or “cashing in” their unused holiday.

What worries me most is that a third of kiwis surveyed said they were not taking all their holidays because work commitments were to great. Many of us migrate to New Zealand to work less and spend more time at home with the family. It appears that it actually may not be the Kiwi thing to do.