Substantial decline in the number of ECEs downgraded or closed for non-compliance with regulations, why?
The political environment likely impacted on the Ministry of Education and its enforcement of regulations and rules in 2024. We discovered a 53% reduction in provisional licences issued to ECE services in the second half of 2024 even though t
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Anyone thinking about getting a job in ECE working in ECE or thinking about moving to a different service will find clear, practical information in this article about pay rates, employment conditions, and what to expect in different roles. It explains everything from starting salaries and pay‑step calculations to workplace rights, benefits, and how to recognise a supportive, professional environment.
Discover the key organisations and sector groups shaping early childhood education in New Zealand – who they are, what they do, and how they influence the services, policies, and people at the heart of the ECE sector.
Getting a job. How can my ECE qualification help me to get a job? With an early childhood teaching qualification you may find yourself attractive
We explain why strict attention to choking and allergy risks is essential, and how gaps in current regulations have led to preventable harm. Every educator and service leader must understand and apply these guidelines to keep children safe.
Parents are not amateurs when it comes to their own children; they hold deep, long-term knowledge built from daily life, shared experiences, and emotional connection. While teachers play an important role, research shows that parents’ insight and involvement have a far greater influence on children’s learning and development.
Teaching Staff Endorsement of ECE Service Quality. Introduction It goes without saying that the early childhood sector is a major part of NZ’s infrastructure –
Associate education minister David Seymour has responded to concerns from the Office of Early Childhood Education about claims circulating in the sector that the pay parity scheme is causing more education and care centres to close.
In August, we fact checked claims by some ECE business lobbyists that the initiative was “directly contributing to the decline in service numbers”. We analysed data on openings and closures of services from 2022 to 2024 and found no evidence this was happening.
We also looked at what else was happening at the time such as the Covid pandemic (vaccination requirements for most businesses weren’t removed until 4/4/2022). We noted the rise in qualified teachers – in 2021, 65.5% of staff at these services were qualified teachers, compared to 67% in 2024. In 2025 more than 90% of eligible centres have opted-in to some form of pay parity.
Despite this, in a Cabinet paper from April, the Ministry of Education wrote to Seymour that “Sector representatives such as the Early Childhood Council have indicated that pay parity arrangements are creating funding shortfalls for centres, increasing rates of closure”.
Worried about how this myth was being perpetuated, the OECE wrote to Seymour and the Ministry to let them know about our findings.
ANALYSIS/OPINION – June 26, 2025.
The Government spent 13% more on funding early childhood education last year than in 2023, but three out of the top four not-for-profit provider groups got a smaller portion of the pie.
The two largest privately-operated provider groups – BestStart and Busy Bees – received slightly more funding (proportionately) year-on-year.
New Shoots Children’s Centres had the highest amount of funding per individual service in the group ($31.26M for 16 services, or just under $2M per service).
Whānau Manaaki (Wellington) Kindergarten Association, Auckland Kindergarten Association and Central Kids Kindergarten Trust (Waikato/Bay of Plenty) all got smaller proportions of funding than they did over the previous 12 months.
(See charts and tables below for more details.)
“The early childhood sector does not need a big funding boost to paper over problems. What it needs is for the government to reverse the policy settings that are driving down safety and quality – settings that make it easier for service operators to generate profit, but harder for children to thrive.”
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