The Office of Early Childhood Education – OECE
Tēnā koutou katoa – We warmly welcome you to the OECE. Thank you for coming to our website.
The Office of Early Childhood Education – Te Tari Mātauranga Kōhungahunga is the lead public advisor on ECE and sector national body.
We represent and work with early childhood services and their people. Our purpose is to support the provision and use of ECE, alongside promoting better quality and safe ECE for children.
We also engage in research and provide information and analysis to inform and educate on education and care issues. We have NZ’s largest early childhood education knowledge centre.
We support and at times challenge business and other lobby groups within the ECE sector, government ministers, the Ministry of Education, the Education Review Office, other government departments and NGOs to be better informed and place children’s interests and needs first.
Join the OECE
Should you support high quality ECE, and we hope that you do, you are welcome to become involved – Join Us.
If you would like to know more about the structure of our sector, different players and groups, go to the chart showing who’s who.
There is also a parents’ website providing straightforward information for parents on early childhood education.
Our people
The OECE is headed by a Chief Advisor. The Chief Advisor’s staff include a Communications Manager and office executive assistants.
Our Early Childhood Advisory Committee (ECAC) comprises experts and leaders in ECE with a strong base of experience and knowledge in their respective areas. ECAC works with the Chief Advisor for better outcomes for the sector, and particularly for children.
The Pay Parity Steering Group (PPSG) is a small group of highly committed people who were successful in getting pay parity for all ECE qualified teachers onto the public policy agenda. Their work is not finished yet – learn more about the pay parity campaign here.
The NZIRECE Journal Editor and Board do fine work in working with researchers and producing the NZ-International Research in ECE Journal. Guest editors are appointed from time to time for special journal issues.