New Zealand workers now have the right to ask their employers for more flexible hours .

Green MP Sue Kedgley's flexible working hours bill has now passed into law, after passing its third and final reading in Parliament last night by 69 votes to 50. It gives any employee with dependents the right to ask for a change to their hours or place of work.

The move has been welcomed by the Council of Trade Unions as a good start, however, the CTU says it will not change the country's work culture.

Secretary Carol Beaumont says New Zealand has a culture of excessive work hours but the new law is a first step towards changing that. Ms Beaumont says it signals people have a right to have their needs met by their employer.