The Cook Islands government is aiming to fund six weeks' paid maternity leave from the beginning of next year.
The leave scheme is part of the government's commitment to the International Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women or CEDAW.
In its budget statement, the government says the scheme will help families who have just had a child and require some form of income while the mother is not working and bonding with her new child.
The assistance is set to be paid at the minimum hourly rate, which is five New Zealand dollars.
