Dr Sarah Alexander warns systemic failures in New Zealand’s early childhood education put children at risk, citing the Christchurch chemical burns incident and urging lessons be learned from it.
Getting a call that your baby or young child has been seriously injured — or worse, has died — is something no parent should ever expect from a licensed early childhood service. Yet it happens.
On Friday afternoon, 5 December 2025, at a Christchurch centre licensed for 88 children, a corrosive substance was poured down a playground slide. Several children suffered chemical burns, prompting a major emergency response. By Monday, the centre had reopened as usual.
Credit is due to the service operator for informing parents and accepting responsibility.
Mistakes can happen — many of us have, at some point, reached for the wrong product when cleaning or fixing something.
