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New figures show the early childhood education sector remained largely
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New figures show the early childhood education sector remained largely stable over the past year, with the number of teacher‑led centres opening matching those that closed.
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Although the number of services remained relatively stable, the total number of available child places declined.
Dr Alexander says the stability in service numbers sits alongside a noticeable easing in demand. She says this is consistent with the latest waiting‑time data, which shows families are generally getting faster access to ECE places than in previous years.
Waiting times for early childhood education have dropped across the country, with new figures showing families are generally getting faster access to services than they were two years ago.
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OECE chief advisor Dr Sarah Alexander says that although the figures point to easier access, the shift is more likely to reflect a drop in demand than an increase in supply.
New ECE services are opening at pace across Aotearoa – but the story behind the growth is far more complex than the headline suggests.
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You can explore the full list of newly licensed ECE services in one place, here.
New licensing criteria for early childhood education (ECE) services have now taken effect. Sector experts say the update is a missed opportunity to improve safety and quality, describing it as little more than a renumbering exercise.
New data shows a dramatic decline in regulatory action against early childhood education services.
The ECE sector has delivered an unexpected bright spot in an otherwise difficult year for New Zealand businesses, recording its lowest number of service closures in recent years.
The figures come after warnings from some provider groups and lobbyists that the 0.5% funding increase announced in Budget 2025 would fall far short of rising costs and lead to widespread closures. In October 2025, claims circulated that as many as 400 centres could shut within a year. However, The Post recently reported comments from Associate Education Minister David Seymour noting that this was not the first time he had been warned of “real doom and gloom,” and that such predictions “have not come true in the past.” The latest data appears to support that view.
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This stability stands in stark contrast to the wider economy. Across the country, 2025 recorded the highest number of business closures in more than a decade, with many sectors hit hard by rising costs and tightening margins. Despite these pressures, the ECE sector remained comparatively insulated.
A young child was left alone in a locked early childhood centre van for almost 50 minutes after an excursion in 2022.
The incident was only made public in 2026, raising major accountability questions.
The National-Act-NZ First Coalition Government took office in November 2023. Erica Stanford became Minister of Education. In early 2024, David Seymour was given the early childhood education (ECE) portfolio. Shortly afterwards, he announced that ECE would be the first sector reviewed by the newly established Ministry for Regulation.
A group of three early childhood centres operating under the Happy Sprouts Educare brand has gone into liquidation following licence withdrawals and significant debts, according to a report in the NZ Herald by journalist Tom Raynel.
New Zealand’s new Director of Regulation (ECE) position remains without a permanent appointee, even though legislation requires the role to be in place from 23 February 2026.
The Education and Training (Early Childhood Education Reform) Amendment Bill, passed on 26 November 2025, created the Director of Regulation as an independent statutory position.
Children in early childhood education services have no legal protection against exposure to excessive heat, even though minimum indoor temperatures have long been regulated.
Current rules require indoor rooms to remain above 18°C, but the Office of Early Childhood Education has received reports of children experiencing discomfort and distress during periods of high summer temperatures.
A recent review of ECE regulations has confirmed that minimum indoor temperature requirements will remain in place, but no corresponding maximum temperature limit will be introduced.
In some New Zealand towns families have just one option for full day early childhood education care for under 2-year-olds, while in other parts of the country they don’t have access to certain kinds of early childhood services (including free kindergarten, Playcentre or kaupapa Māori services) at all.
These are just some of our findings. Continue reading below for full details.
Toward the end of last year, the Office of Early Childhood Education undertook a project to analyse and map early childhood services across Aotearoa, identifying ECE “deserts” (large areas where families have significantly limited options).
This work drew on data from
Here, we sum up the major stories we’ve covered in the past year.
If we had to sum up what 2025 had in store for the ECE Sector in one word, it would be “flux”.
The sector has experienced rapid and significant change over the past 12 months and not all of it positive. There is still considerable uncertainty about what comes next.
To keep our members updated on everything they’ve needed to know about what’s going on in the sector, the Office of Early Childhood Education launched a newsroom, through which we’ve published articles regularly (usually weekly).
The surprise announcement left many parents stunned and some in tears.
Parents have criticised MIT’s decision and its impact on families and students
Seven people — five children and two staff — were taken to hospital. One was reported in a serious condition, while the others were described as moderate.
The role of Santa in ECE – Some things you might want to consider before inviting the “big man in red” to visit your service
Measles risk for 9,000 infants as ECE immunisation rules face change NEWS/OPINION – 30 October, 2025 With 13 confirmed measles cases in New Zealand and the
The Ministry’s review of its early childhood advisory committee exposes deeper failures in sector oversight and explains why it struggles to obtain balanced, credible advice. Its continued operation raises serious concerns about integrity and effectiveness across Aotearoa’s early childhood education system, demanding closer scrutiny.
OPINION/ANALYSIS – October 23, 2025
The Education Review Office considers more than half of 394 early childhood services it has visited in the last year to be “below the threshold for quality” on at least one of its four metrics.
In September 2024, ERO started using a new rating system for its quality assurance reports for ECE.
How did your service do? View our our interactive table and read full details.
The Office of Early Childhood Education’s chief advisor Dr Sarah Alexander says because ERO gives ECE services four weeks’ notice of reviews, it was concerning that so many services were still not measuring up to quality standards.
Moreover, because the Education Review Office no longer has the capacity or resources to review every licensed service it now assesses only a small selection from providers that operate 14 or more services. As a result, we have no way of knowing how many of these services fall below ERO’s threshold for quality.
Majority of preschoolers still at risk of meningococcal B after free ‘catch up’ immunisation programme ends ANALYSIS/OPINION – 21 October, 2025 More than 200,000 toddlers and
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