The Ministry of Education does not hold records of the early childhood centres on public land.
This means that there is no way of tracking which ECE centres could be at risk of eviction or closure if the school or council they are renting the land from decides not to renew their lease.
The problem was exposed recently when Longbeach Playcentre, near Ashburton, was informed by its landlord Longbeach School that from the end of the year it would not be able to continue operating in the building it has been based in for 20 years.
After news of the situation broke, the Office of Early Childhood Education asked the Ministry for the names of ECE services located on public land, including hospitals, tertiary institutes and public reserves, as well as schools.
